Recap: Ohio vs. Kent State

Athens, OH (Sports Network) - Walter Offutt scored 17 points and helped set up Ohio University's final two field goals in overtime, as the Bobcats rallied for a 78-75 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes in a Mid-American Conference thriller at the Convocation Center.

D.J. Cooper racked up 13 points, seven assists and four steals to help the Bobcats (19-6, 10-1 MAC) improve to 14-1 at home on the season and notch their fourth straight win overall. Nick Kellogg and Reggie Keely rounded out the team's double-figure scorers with 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Stevie Taylor (three points) came off the bench to hit the go-ahead 3-pointer late in overtime.

Chris Evans led the Golden Flashes (14-12, 5-7) with a game-high 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Kris Brewer contributed 14 points in the loss.

A putback by Evans gave Kent State its largest lead of the game, 19-12, at the 7:41 mark of the opening stanza. However, after trading baskets back and forth, OU closed out the half with a 15-3 spurt to take a 31-26 lead into the locker room.

The Golden Flashes dominated the second half, as they shot a blistering 72.7 percent from the floor and drained 6-of-9 threes. With the score tied at 69-69, Kent State held out for the final possession of regulation, but Mark Henninger misfired on a pass that went out of bounds, and the game went to overtime.

The extra session featured one tie and four lead changes, but it was a wild sequence in the final seconds that dictated the outcome. Trailing 75-73, Offutt kicked the ball out to an unguarded Taylor, who knocked down a three from the wing to make it a 76-75 game with 13 seconds on the clock. On the other end of the floor, OU forced a turnover, and Offutt fed the ball upcourt to Kellogg, whose layup provided the final margin.

OU forced 22 turnovers for the game as it held a key 26-14 advantage in points off turnovers. The Bobcats swept the season series with Kent State as they also narrowly won the first meeting, 69-68, on Jan. 26.