ATHENS – On its home court for the first time this season, Ohio shot 52% and downed Cleveland State 81-70 for its first victory Saturday at The Convo.

The Bobcats (1-1) went 12 of 22 (54.5%) from long range and made 17 of 19 (89.5%) free throws while holding a comfortable lead throughout the second half against the Vikings (0-3).

Jaylin Hunter led Ohio with 17 points and seven assists, with Miles Brown scoring 14 points with four assists and Devon Baker adding 13 points.

Leading 38-30 at halftime, the Bobcats got four points from AJ Clayton to start the second half and held a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Baker, Hunter and Clayton all had 3-pointers during a 9-2 run that made it 51-34 with 16:26 to play.

Ohio’s biggest lead was 73-54 at the 6:46 mark on a pair of Brown free throws.

Cleveland State led early, going up 11-7 on a Deante Johnson three-point play with 13:59 left to play in the first half, and the Vikings went up 18-13 on a Drew Louder 3-pointer. They regained a five-point lead at 23-18 on a Yahel Hill trey at the 6:32 mark.

The rest of the game, though, belonged to the Bobcats. A Hunter 3-pointer put Ohio in front 28-27 and was the start of a 13-0 run, capped by a Brown 3-pointer that made it 38-27. Hill snapped the more than four-minute scoring drought 12 seconds before halftime.

Hill paced the Vikings with 20 points. Trae Williams had 12 points, with Johnson scoring 11 points.

Balanced scoring for Ohio included eight points from Elmore James and seven each from Clayton and Ben Roderick.

Cleveland State shot 45%, and both teams had 13 turnovers and 32 rebounds, with Dwight Wilson pacing the Bobcats with 14 of them to go with his four points and four assists.

The Bobcats host Detroit Mercy at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Convo.