MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Despite foul trouble, Walter Offutt had 17 points and eight rebounds as Ohio pulled away from Central Michigan in the second half, 82-63, on Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena.

Reggie Keely scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half and Ricardo Johnson came off the bench to finish with 11 points in the second half for the Bobcats (18-6, 9-1 Mid-American Conference).

Kyle Randall had 28 points for the Chippewas (9-15, 2-9 MAC). Chris Fowler had 10 points and seven assists.

The Bobcats’ lead was just four points, 35-31, at halftime, and the Chippewas hung close for the first six minutes of the second half, trailing 51-45, before Ohio put the game away with a 16-2 run over the next six minutes.

Johnson got the spurt going with a 3-pointer, and after a Johnson steal, Ivo Baltic knocked down a jumper to give Ohio its first double-digit lead. Jon Smith scored on a tip-in, and finally, Central Michigan put some additional points on the board with two Chris Fowler free throws at the 11:12 mark.

Nick Kellogg hit a 3-pointer, Keely scored a layup and Baltic scored in the paint to give the Bobcats a 65-47 lead with 7:35 remaining. A minute later, a D.J. Cooper 3-pointer gave Ohio its biggest lead, 68-49. A Taylor 3-pointer in the final minute made it a 21-point game.

Early on, though, the MAC’s last place team hung in with Ohio. The Chippewas scored the first five points of the game, but ultimately, the Bobcats took the lead for good on a Baltic jumper at the 9:30 mark.

The Bobcats’ biggest lead of the first half was 31-23 on a T.J. Hall layup with four minutes to go. Central Michigan got within two on a Randall layup before a Keely jumper to end the first half made it 35-31.

Cooper finished with only eight points and three assists with four turnovers, but the rest of the team picked up the slack. Hall and Baltic scored eight points and Taylor finished with seven. Central Michigan had only two players with seven or more points, compared to seven by Ohio.

Offutt made his first five shots and had 13 points and seven rebounds in the first half before foul trouble slowed him.

The Bobcats forced 19 turnovers, but committed 16 of their own, and held a 36-34 rebounding edge.

Ohio connected on 51.7 percent of its shots in the game, including 10 of 21 from beyond the arc, and went 12 of 20 at the foul line. Central Michigan shot 40 percent and was just 4 of 21 on 3-pointers, but it went 15 of 21 on free throw tries.

With the win, Ohio's four-year seniors earned their 88th career victory, passing the school record of 87 by the 1982-86 class.

Next up, the Bobcats return home to face Kent State in an 11 a.m. ESPNU game Saturday at The Convo.