Freshman Brice Sensabaugh had a career-high 20 points off the bench and Zed Key recorded his third straight double-double when host Ohio State defeated Eastern Illinois 65-43 in Columbus on Tuesday.
Sensabaugh scored 13 points in the first half after scoring 17 and 14 points, respectively, in his first two games for the Buckeyes (3-0).
Key had 10 points and 14 rebounds and Isaac Likekele grabbed 10 rebounds.
Yaakema Rose Jr. led the Panthers (0-4) with 17 points.
Key’s dunk capped a 15-2 run for a 41-25 lead with 12:43 left and the Buckeyes stretched their edge to 25 at 57-32 for their biggest lead with just under six minutes remaining.
Ohio State led 26-20 after a strange first half that had major momentum swings, cold shooting and a duel between Sensabaugh and Rose.
It took Eastern Illinois nearly six minutes to score their first points but the Panthers trailed only 4-2 because each team made one of their first eight shots.
The Buckeyes would run off 14 points in a row for a 21-5 advantage with Sensabaugh and Tanner Holden combining for all of the Ohio State points. Sensabaugh had 10 of them, including a stretch of seven straight to make it 15-5.
Holden, who started the run with a free throw, then canned a trey to make it 18-5 before Sensabaugh drained another triple.
The Panthers would not go away and Rose, who had nine points in the first half, sunk made a field goal and consecutive 3-pointers and suddenly it was 21-13. Eastern Illinois would later pull to within 23-20 but Sensabaugh’s triple with 1:33 left were the final points before the break.
The Buckeyes will head to Lahaina, Hawaii, for the Maui Invitational, opening Monday against No. 17 San Diego State with a possibility of playing No. 14 Arizona the next day.
Eastern Illinois hosts St. Mary of the Woods on Monday.
–Field Level Media