MASON — Cincinnati and Ohio State got an early look at what they have Wednesday afternoon, and the Bearcats made the better impression when it mattered most.
Cincinnati rallied from a nine-point deficit to beat Ohio State 79-68 in an outdoor exhibition at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, giving first-year Bearcats head coach Jerrod Calhoun a victory in his unofficial debut.
Ohio State controlled much of the first half and carried a 35-30 lead into the break. The Buckeyes stretched that advantage to 52-44 with 12:52 remaining, but Cincinnati took over from there.
The Bearcats scored 14 of the next 18 points, with Tyler Tejada accounting for 12 during the run, to take a 58-56 lead with 8:20 left. John Mobley Jr. briefly tied the game with two free throws, but Cincinnati answered again and never gave the lead back.
Tylen Riley took over down the stretch. The senior guard scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and helped Cincinnati pull away during a decisive closing stretch. Tejada added 17 points, including 15 after halftime, while Jayden Hastings finished with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Cincinnati outscored Ohio State 49-33 in the second half and finished the game on a 30-12 run.
The difference was not three-point shooting. Neither team found much success from outside, with Cincinnati going 4-for-19 and Ohio State finishing 4-for-23. Instead, the Bearcats did their damage closer to the basket.
Cincinnati held a 48-32 advantage in points in the paint and outrebounded Ohio State 45-35, including a 15-11 edge on the offensive glass. The Bearcats also finished with 14 assists compared with only seven for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State received 15 points from Mobley, who scored 10 in the first half. Amare Bynum and freshman LJ Smith added nine points apiece, while Jimmie Williams and Justin Pippen each scored eight off the bench.
The Buckeyes had opportunities to keep control of the game but struggled offensively once Cincinnati increased the pressure. Ohio State shot 40.7 percent from the field, committed 16 turnovers, and made only 20 of 36 free throws.
Cincinnati was hardly perfect, either. The Bearcats committed 15 turnovers and went 19-for-32 at the foul line, but their second-half improvement was substantial. After scoring only 30 points in the opening 20 minutes, Cincinnati nearly reached 50 in the second half.
The setting made the afternoon unusual from the beginning. The game was played outdoors on Center Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center as part of the CareSource Invitational, which also featured Xavier and Dayton in the second half of the doubleheader. The event supports adolescent and young adult mental-health initiatives and suicide prevention.
Because the game was an exhibition, the result will not count toward either team’s regular-season record. It did, however, give both coaching staffs an early opportunity to evaluate lineups and rotations before the games begin to count in November.
For Cincinnati, the most encouraging takeaway was how quickly a group playing its first game under Calhoun responded after falling behind. The Bearcats did not shoot particularly well from outside and left plenty of points at the free-throw line, but they controlled the paint, won the rebounding battle, and finished the game with authority.
Ohio State showed some encouraging stretches of its own, particularly during the first half, but the Buckeyes will have work to do before the regular season begins.
What’s Next
Cincinnati returns to action October 17 against Illinois at Fifth Third Arena in the second of its three exhibition games.
Ohio State will play its second exhibition October 25 against Butler at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes open the regular season November 2 against BYU in Salt Lake City.
