Cincinnati demolishes Georgia Tech behind sharp-shooter Lakhin's 15 points in 89-54 win

CINCINNATI — Viktor Lakhin scored 15 points and John Newman III scored 12 points and Cincinnati routed Georgia Tech 89-54 on Wednesday night.

Offensively, Lakhin never stepped inside the 3-point line, shooting 5 of 6 from distance. CJ Fredrick scored 11 points for the Bearcats (5-0), who began turning what was a competitive matchup through most of the first half into a beatdown starting just before halftime.

Georgia Tech's Baye Ndongo made 1 of 2 foul shots with 2:43 left before halftime to bring the Yellow Jackets within 32-27. Cincinnati countered when Simas Lukosius made a 3-pointer 14 seconds later, and from there, the Bearcats outscored Georgia Tech 23-8 over the next 7:30. Cincinnati led 40-32 at halftime and extended its lead to 58-35 after CJ Fredrick's 3 with 15:13 left. Fredrick made another 3 less than 2 minutes later and the Bearcats led 67-37.

Koawacie Reeves scored 14 points and Miles Kelly 12 for Georgia Tech (2-2).

The game also marked Aziz Bandaogo's first appearance for the Bearcats. On his first defensive set, he blocked a shot. Soon after, he dunked an alley-oop.

Cincinnati got its ninth straight win over an ACC opponent, a streak that began against Maryland in Maui (2009).