ATHENS, Ohio (Interstat) — Ohio held off a second-half surge from Northern Illinois for an 80-77 victory in a Mid-American Conference men’s basketball game Tuesday night at Convocation Center.

The Bobcats led 32-30 at halftime before both offenses ignited after the break. The Huskies outscored their first-half total with 47 points in the second period, but Ohio matched the intensity with 48 points of its own to secure the win. A crowd of 2,867 watched as the total score went over the pregame over/under line.

The victory improved Ohio’s record to 10-9 overall. Northern Illinois fell to 6-12.