ATHENS, Ohio – Reggie Keely ignited a second-half run as Ohio turned a close game into a blowout, defeating Delaware in the season-opener, 88-69, at The Convo on Saturday.

Keely had 14 of his career high 19 points in the second half, including 10 during a 20-7 run to start the second half that put the Bobcats on top 55-40. He added 11 rebounds and three blocks in the game.

D.J. Cooper scored 14 of his 25 points while the Bobcats struggled in the first half, and he also dished out seven assists to go with five rebounds and three steals.

Ivo Baltic scored 14 points and grabbed five boards.

"These guys know our system better than they did a year ago," Groce said. "They know each other better, they know me better, and they know what's expected better. All three of them, in different ways, had different things from the spring to the summer to the fall that in my mind, they've sacrificed in order to make themselves better."

Adetunji Adedipe had a career-high seven rebounds for Ohio, which held a 47-34 advantage on the boards.

The Bobcats scored 24 points off of 19 Blue Hens turnovers and held a 16-4 advantage in second-chance points.

Devon Sadler scored 19 points to lead Delaware. He also had seven assists and six rebounds. Jamelle Hagins posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Guarded by a pair of freshmen, Jawan Carter, who led Delaware with a scoring average of 18 points per game last year, was held to six points on 2 of 9 shooting with six turnovers.

"What (Nick) Kellogg and (Ricardo) Johnson did collectively on Carter, who is really a great offensive talent, was great," Groce said. "It's not a one-on-one game. Our guys did a real good job supporting those two. I thought for their first time out, for those two to get the assignment to guard him and the tough shots that they forced him into, they did a really good job defensively."

After a poor shooting first half, the Bobcats scored 53 points in the second half by making 22 of 39 shots (56.4 percents).

The teams played a fairly even half, with the biggest lead of four occurring at 6-2 in Ohio’s favor. Delaware also had a 33-29 edge with 2:09 left before halftime before the Bobcats scored six straight points to take the lead for good.

Ohio hosts Oakland at 7 p.m. Monday.