After being ranked 17th in the Associated Press Top-25 poll earlier in the day, the San Diego State Aztecs beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 88-77 in the quarterfinals of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
San Diego State improved to 4-0 with the victory. The Aztecs were led by senior guard Matt Bradley, who scored a team-high 18 points and connected on four three-pointers.
The Aztecs jumped out to a 37-26 lead at halftime and led by as many as 16 points in the opening half. Ohio State shot just 30% from the floor and 1-for-11 from beyond the arc in the first half. San Diego State shot 42% in the first half and connected on four three-pointers.
The Buckeyes cut San Diego State's lead to four points at the 13:28 mark on the second half, before Micah Parrish answered with back-to-back threes. A layup from Aguek Arop following a steal in the Buckeyes' backcourt put the Aztecs ahead 59-47. After that surge, Ohio State never got the Aztecs' lead to below seven points.
Parrish finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a trio of threes. Lamont Butler also collected 15 points, while Adam Seiko scored 14 points for the Aztecs. The contributions from Parrish and Seiko were part of a 41-point effort from San Diego State's bench.
San Diego State shot 51% from the floor as a team, and went 10-for-21 from three-point range. The Aztecs shot 80% (16-for-20) from the free throw line.
The Aztecs play the winner of #14 Arizona vs. Cincinnati tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. PT in the tournament semifinal.
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