MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan scored the first 15 points of the second half and ran away with a 75-50 victory against Ohio to open Mid-American Conference play Tuesday night at McGuirk Arena.

The Chippewas (12-2, 1-0 MAC) quickly turned a six-point halftime lead into a 21-point advantage that grew to as big as 28 points.

Mike Laster led the Bobcats (7-6, 0-1 MAC) with 19 points, while Teyvion Kirk had 13 points and a team-leading seven rebounds. No one else scored more than 5 points as Ohio shot just 35.7 percent, including 26.7 percent in the second half. The Bobcats made just 3 of 20 3-pointers.

David DiLeo led Central Michigan with 22 points, while Cecil Williams had 15 points and nine rebounds. Shawn Roundtree scored 13 points, and Luke Meyer tallied 12 points. The Chippewas shot 42.2 percent.

After recovering from an injury, true freshman A.J. Gareri made his season debut for Ohio, scoring 2 points in 11 minutes.

The Bobcats host Northern Illinois at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at The Convo.