Ohio State, up by 3 at half, beats Alabama A&M 90-59

Updated Dec. 29, 2022 5:21 p.m. ET

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Brice Sensabaugh scored 21 points, Justice Sueing added 18 and Ohio State raced away in the second half for a 90-59 win over Alabama A&M on Thursday as both teams completed their nonconference schedules.

Bruce Thornton added 12 points and five assists for Ohio State (9-3), which rebounded from a poor-shooting first half to finish at 52%. Zed Key had 10 rebounds with nine points and three blocks.

Garrett Hicks scored 11 points with six rebounds and four assists for the Bulldogs (4-9), who have lost three straight games, all to Power 5 teams.

Sensabaugh, chosen Big Ten freshman of the week the past two weeks, was 9-of-14 shooting while Sueing was 6 of 8. The two combined for 22 of Ohio State's 54 second-half points after the Buckeyes led by just three at halftime. Ohio State went ahead by double figures for good after a 13-3 run to lead by 19 with 10 minutes remaining.

Sensabaugh opened the game with a baseline 3-pointer and scored 11 points in the first half when Ohio State led 36-33. The Bulldogs had their only lead of the game after Brandon Powell's 3-pointer with just under two minutes left before halftime. Key's bucket in a 5-0 half-closing run — just the second Buckeyes field goal in the final nine minutes before the break — restored the lead.

The Buckeyes made just 2 of 12 3-point attempts in the first half but had a big advantage at the free-throw line. Though they made just 10 of 18 free throws, Alabama A&M was only 2 of 3. Ohio State was 7 of 13 from the arc in the second half and finished 17 of 29 at the line.

Two Buckeyes returned to action after extended absences. Eugene Brown III, who started 10 games last season, played for the first time this season after dealing with a concussion. Isaac Likekele, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State, returned from Texas after leaving the program for three games to attend to personal matters.

The Buckeyes have won their last 26 nonconference home games, the longest active streak in the Big Ten.

Ohio State resumes Big Ten play at Northwestern on Sunday. Alabama A&M opens Southwestern Athletic Conference play at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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Garrett Hicks

Justice Sueing

Ohio State Buckeyes