ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio basketball team took control in the second half of its exhibition contest against Marietta College, emerging victorious, 82-69.

The Bobcats came out firing early on in Saul Phillips' first game as the Ohio head coach, with senior guard Stevie Taylor (Gahanna, Ohio) hitting a corner three to open the scoring, followed by a one-handed slam by senior forward Maurice Ndour (Mbour, Senegal) to provide Ohio with a 5-2 lead.

Taylor paced the Bobcats in the first half, scoring nine of Ohio's first 11 points and finished the opening 20 minutes with a team-high 15 points.

Marietta grabbed a 38-24 lead at the 6:52 mark of the first half, but the Bobcats cut into the 14-point deficit, ending the half on a 13-2 run to cut the margin to three at 40-37.

Ohio took command at the 17:38 mark, using a three-point play by Ndour to take a 45-44 advantage.

Ndour took over in the second half with 16 points over the final 20 minutes, finishing with a team-high 18 points to go along with nine rebounds.

Ohio had five players in double figures, with senior guard Javarez Willis (Homer, La.) scoring 15, redshirt junior forward Treg Setty (Maysville, Ky.) with 15 and freshman guard Mike Laster (Detroit, Mich.) adding 11 in his Bobcat debut.

The Bobcats shot 46.8% (29-of-62), outrebounded Marietta 47-42, had 12 fouls compared to 25 for the Pioneers and outscored them, 45-29, in the second half.

Marietta had four players in double figures, with junior wing Luis Garcia leading the Pioneers with 20 points. Junior wing A.J. Ireland added 19.

The Bobcats open the 2014-15 regular season next Saturday (Nov. 15) with a contest against Sun Belt Conference foe Appalachian State inside the Convocation Center. The game tips off at 2 p.m. ET.

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