HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Marshall built a lead over the final four minutes of the first half and rode it to a 79-70 victory against Ohio on Saturday at the Cam Henderson Center.

The game was tied at 29 with 3:45 remaining, but Mikal Dawson followed with a 3-pointer that put the Thundering Herd (6-5) ahead for good. Marshall moved ahead by a 41-33 margin with another Dawson 3-pointer just before halftime and led by as many as 15 points in the second half.

AJ Brown led Ohio (4-6) with 22 points, while AJ Clayton had 16 points and five rebounds. Jackson Paveletzke scored 10 points and passed out 12 assists.

They could not match Dawson, who had 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 6 of 9 from long range. Jalen Speer and Obinna Anochili-Killen had 12 points each, with Anochili-Killen adding 10 boards for a double-double.

A Clayton 3-pointer cut Ohio’s deficit to 65-58 with 6:10 remaining, but Marshall got a Nate Martin layup and then a Dawson 3-pointer to extend its lead. The Bobcats got as close as 75-70 on a Paveletzke layup, but the Thundering Herd closed out the game at the foul line.

Marshall went up 20-10 nine minutes into the game, but Ohio battled back to tie it at 24 on a Clayton jumper in the paint with 6:32 left in the first half and then took a brief lead on a Brown 3-pointer.

After Marshall moved back in front, a Searls tip-in tied it at 29, but the Thundering Herd finished the first half on a 12-4 run, beginning and ending with Dawson 3-pointers.

Ohio shot only 38.5% for the game, including just 34.3% in the second half. Marshall shot 52.7% overall.

The Bobcats host Austin Peay at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Convo.