MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Generally a poor-shooting team, Central Michigan made its first 8 3-pointers and shot 50 percent and was able to hold off a late Ohio rally for a 91-85 victory against Ohio on Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena.

D.J. Cooper scored 26 of his 30 points in the second half, but it was not enough to bring the Bobcats back from a 39-32 halftime deficit.

One game after being held to 38 points, the Chippewas, who came in averaging a Mid-American Conference-worst 57 points a game, had a season-best offensive performance.

Trey Zeigler led the way with 24 points, and Jalin Thomas scored 22 points for Central Michigan (6-15, 3-5 MAC). Three other players also reached double-figures on a team where only Zeigler and Thomas average more than 6 points per game.

Tommy Freeman had 16 points, DeVaughn Washington had 10 points, and Ricardo Johnson scored all 11 of his points in the second half for Ohio (10-12, 3-5 MAC).

Giving up offensive rebounds also came back to hurt the Bobcats. The Chippewas had 15 of them in a game that featured a combined 60 fouls called.

Central Michigan led by as many as 14 on two different occasions in the second half, including 76-62 with 3:11 remaining, but Ohio got as close as four in the final minute.

With 1:07 remaining, a pair of Johnson free throws made it a five-point game. After Zeigler made two free throws, a wide-open Freeman 3-point attempt could have cut the Central Michigan lead to four, but it was off the mark.

The Bobcats got as close as four with 46 seconds left after a steal and two free throws by Johnson, but Thomas made two shots at the line and Cooper missed a shot from beyond the arc. DeVaughn Washington eventually scored on a putback after Nick Kellogg missed a 3-pointer, but it left only 17 seconds on the clock.

Thomas sank two at the foul line, and after another missed Freeman trey, Finis Craddock hit two free throws with five seconds to go. Cooper got a layup at the buzzer for the final margin.

The Bobcats shot 51.9 percent but made only 5 of 18 3-point tries.

Ohio’s deficit also was at 14 at 52-38 early in the second half after the Chippewas started the second 20 minutes on a 13-6 run.

Central Michigan still led 58-46 midway through the second half, but Ohio scored seven straight points to cut its deficit to five. Freeman missed a 3-pointer at that point that could have cut even more into the Chippewas’ lead, and the home team came back with six points in a row.

The Bobcats controlled the opening minutes, taking an 8-2 lead after Zeigler scored the game’s opening basket.

Washington later followed a dunk with two free throws with 7:46 to go to put Ohio on top 25-17, but Central Michigan went 3 of 3 behind the arc during a 12-2 run that put Central Michigan in the lead.

Reggie Keely, who had a game-high 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes, had a tip-in with 3:27 left before halftime that gave Ohio its last lead, 30-29. The Chippewas closed the half on a 10-2 run, finishing the first half 7 of 7 behind the arc.

Derek Jackson scored 14 points for Central Michigan. Craddock had 12 points and Colin Voss scored 10 points.

Johnson fouled out for Ohio in only 17 minutes on the floor, and all five starters finished with four fouls. Ivo Baltic played only 10 minutes because of foul struggles.

Andre Coimbra fouled out in only 12 minutes of action for Central Michigan. The Chippewas’ other two forwards William McClure and Voss finished with four fouls each.

Classes at Central Michigan were canceled on Wednesday after a storm dumped a foot of snow in the area. There was talk about postponing the game one night, but Ohio had arrived before the storm, and the game was played and broadcast on STO.

Ohio has its final weekend home game at 3 p.m. Saturday against Northern Illinois.