ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio held on in the final minutes to complete a sweep of a four-game Mid-American Conference home stand with a 59-55 victory against Ball State on Saturday.

The Cardinals rallied from 12 down in the second half, tying the game on a Jarrod Jones free throw with 2:29 remaining, but Walter Offutt was big down the stretch.

Offutt finished with a team-high 13 points, with Ivo Baltic and Reggie Keely each adding 10 points.

Chris Bond had 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Jones also posted a double-double with 11 points and 16 boards. Randy Davis knocked down four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.

“Fortunately, we were able to make some plays there at the end,” Ohio coach John Groce said. “… At the end of the day we won the game because we played defense. … It’s another game where in the past, in previous years, I don’t think we would have been able to pull that one out.”

After back-to-back 3-pointers by Davis and Tyler Koch put Ball State on top, 54-53, Offutt scored on a putback through contact, but missed a free throw that could have added to Ohio’s lead.

Jones’ free throw knotted the game at 55, and after turnovers by each team, Offutt scored the go-ahead basket with 1:11 remaining. He added a free throw with 27 seconds left to make it a three-point game.

“Tyler’s play was a big play,” Ball State coach Billy Taylor said. “In a game that ends up being a close ball game, there’s going to be a big play. We had done a good job on the glass blocking out, but there was one we missed. … Late in the game, you have to do all the little things well. … That was a big rebound we didn’t come up with.”

Davis missed a layup, and after a scramble for the rebound, Bond came up with Ball State’s 18th offensive rebound and found Tyrae Robinson for an open look from beyond the arc, but he missed and Ohio secured the rebound. D.J. Cooper made the second of two free throws with seven seconds left to lock up the victory.

A first-half 16-0 run put the Bobcats in control for most of the game. Ball State led 7-2 but did not score for five minutes. Even after the Cardinals ended the scoring drought with a Robinson layup, the Bobcats continued its run of dominance, taking their biggest lead, 25-11, on a Jon Smith dunk.

“We got ourselves in too big of a hole,” Taylor said. “We should not have gotten into that big of a hole, but I give our guys credit for hanging tough.”

Six straight Ball State points late in the first half got it with five before Ivo Baltic hid a fall-away jumper at the buzzer for a 34-27 advantage at the break.

The Bobcats carried the momentum after halftime, scoring five straight points to go up 39-27. The margin was still double digits at 46-36 with 11:57 on a T.J. Hall 3-pointer, but the Cardinals got back in it in the final 10 minutes.

Jesse Berry’s three-point play made it a 46-43 game at the 8:22 mark, and Jones tied the game with a jumper with 6:22 remaining.

Keely scored a dunk off an offensive rebound and Nick Kellogg knocked down a 3-pointer for his only points of the game to put Ohio back on top five with 4:46 remaining.

Ball State shot just 33.3 percent in the game and had 22 turnovers but stayed in its offensive rebound, by making 15 of 17 free throw attempts and by holding Ohio to 40.0 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent in the second half. The Bobcats had 13 offensive rebounds and 14 turnovers.

Second in the MAC in scoring, Jones was limited to a 4-of-13 shooting performance with five turnovers.

“He’s a really good player,” Groce said. “… We doubled him and did such a great job doubling him that some of these guys got nine offensive rebounds and four offensive rebounds, and then we called it off, and he got two quick baskets. … All in all, we have defended against some terrific interior players and Jarrod Jones is right up there.”

Cooper was held to six points with five turnovers, but had six assists. Ricardo Johnson led the defense with three steals.

Ohio travels to Northern Illinois for an 8 p.m. game Wednesday.