Reggie Kelly scored 16 points and Ohio withstood a fierce Marshall rally down the stretch to win 70-68 on Wednesday night.
Ohio took its largest lead of the game at 63-49 with 7:35 remaining before Marshall began its comeback. A layup by Marshall's Jamir Hanner cut the deficit to four, 67-63, with 2:08 to go, but D.J. Cooper made 3 of 4 free throw attempts over the next 1:36 to push the lead back to six points.
A 3-pointer by DeAndre Kane, then two free throws by Damier Pitts pulled Marshall to within 70-68 with 15 seconds left. Marshall then forced a turnover, but Kane's shot at the buzzer was off the mark.
Walter Offutt added 13 points for Ohio (4-1), while Cooper had 11 points and 11 assists.
Kane scored 17 points, and Dennis Tinnon had 12 points and 14 rebounds for Marshall (5-1).
