CLEVELAND – Ohio was hot from the outside early and survived four free throw misses in the final 25 seconds and 32 points from Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Mitchell Watt, holding on to knock off Buffalo for the third time this season, 77-74, in the tournament semifinals Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Led by Cooper’s five makes, the No. 3 Bobcats (26-7) knocked down 10 of 19 3-point tries in the first half to build a 46-35 halftime lead and pushed that advantage to 15 early in the second half, but the No. 2 Bulls (19-10) came back late, missing three 3-point tries that could have tied the game, including a half-court heave at the buzzer that was off the back of the iron.

Ohio, which broke the school record for wins, advances to the tournament finals to face Akron in a rematch of the championship game two years ago. The top-seeded and defending champion Zips topped rival Kent State for the third time this year in the early semifinal game, 78-74, to reach their sixth straight title game.

“Our kids really hung in there,” Ohio coach John Groce said. “I’m really proud of their tenacity. I thought we made some big plays late in the game. It came from a variety of guys and that’s what really made it special. … Every guy that played contributed. Individuals make plays, but teams win championships. … Now we’re in position to win one tomorrow night.”

Victory seemed to be at hand with the Bobcats taking a 77-70 lead on an Ivo Baltic jumper with 2:51 remaining. Watt hit a shot at the 2:28 mark to get the Bulls within five, but Cooper came up with a steal on the next defensive possession, allowing the Bobcats to milk the clock to about a minute remaining.

Jarod Oldham kept Buffalo’s hopes alive with a basket with 37 seconds to go, but Reggie Keely got free up the court for what would have been an easy score. Zach Filzen was called for an intentional foul trying to stop him, giving Keely two free throws and Ohio possession.

Keely, though, missed both tries, and T.J. Hall missed the front end of a one-and-one with 21 seconds left. Watt and Filzen both missed 3-point tries before Jon Smith secured the rebound and was fouled with 2 seconds left. He was off the mark on the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Bulls one more chance.

Cooper finished with a team-high 18 points as one of five Ohio players in double figures. Keely scored 14 points, Hall had 13 and Baltic and Walter Offutt scored 10 points apiece.

“We would not be where we’re at right now without the depth that we’ve had,” Groce said. “That’s the biggest difference between our team now and the others we’ve had the last three years.”

Javon McCrea, with 12 points, was the only Buffalo player besides Watt to reach double digits.

A Keely dunk two minutes into the second half gave the Bobcats their biggest lead, 55-40, but the Bulls did not need long to get back in it, going on a 13-0 run to draw within two, 55-53, on a Watt jumper at the 15:02 mark. He scored seven points in that three-minute stretch.

“He’s a terrific player,” Groce said. “He’s the epitome of a student-athlete. … He played like that the whole end of the year. It’s not like it was just one game. He was an absolute beast the last six games.”

The Bobcats used a 7-0 run to push their advantage back to nine points at the 12:33 mark, but the Bulls grabbed the momentum, getting within a point with 8:42 to go.

Cooper ended that run with his only basket of the second half, completing a key three-point play at the basket. Later, Buffalo’s Dave Barnett connected from deep to get his team within a point again with 5:21 remaining, but Keely hit two free throws and Baltic made consecutive jumpers to make it a seven-point game.

Hall’s triple from the corner beat the shot clock and gave the Bobcats their biggest lead of the first half at 11 points at the break.

After Ohio opened up a 10-point advantage, Buffalo surged to within four on an alley-oop dunk by Watt, but he was called for a technical for hanging on the rim. Nick Kellogg’s technical makes helped the Bobcats score the final seven points of the first half in the final 1:24.

“I’m probably going to get in trouble for saying this, but a lot of refs that call that, they’ve never known what it’s like to be above the rim with other players underneath you,” Watt said. “Your safety is at risk.”

Buffalo held an early 8-3 lead in the game, but 12 straight points gave Ohio a commanding early lead. Cooper drained a pair of 3-pointers during that run.

After the Bulls rallied to tie the score at 21 on two free throws by Watt at the 8:27 mark of the first half, the Bobcats came back with 10 points in a row, with Cooper’s final made triple making it 33-23 with 4:46 left.

“Every time I shoot, I feel like it’s going to go in,” Cooper said. “Tonight, a few more went in than what has gone in most of the season.”

Ohio’s lead reached 11 on two occasions, 3-pointers by Kellogg at the 3:46 mark and by Hall with 2:44 remaining.

After the hot shooting start, the Bobcats were just 2 of 6 beyond the arc in the second half and finished at 45.3 percent from the field overall.

“I thought our guys showed tremendous heart and desire,” Buffalo coach Reggie Witherspoon said. “… Ohio shot it well. Take nothing from them. Our guys were very resilient through that whole episode.”

While the Bobcats dominated the boards in the first two contests, the Bulls had 18 offensive rebounds this time. Watt grabbed 11 rebounds. Ohio made up for it by committing only seven turnovers to 13 for Buffalo.

Attention now turns to a third match-up against Akron on Saturday night. The teams split their regular season series.

“I’m sure you won’t have to motivate either team,” Groce said. “In addition to being a championship, we love one another.”

Tipoff is schedule for 8 p.m. for the game that will be broadcast on ESPN2.