With the win, EMU (11-13, 5-6 MAC) moves into a tie for second place in the MAC West Division standings. It also puts the Eagles just a game and a half back of a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament.
After starting the game down 12-0, Eastern used a 31-12 run to erase the deficit and build a seven-point lead at the half. It then buried Ohio (11-12, 3-8 MAC) with a 21-8 run to start the second stanza. Though the Bobcats battled back in the waning moments of the game, the Eagles escaped with their second straight win.
Tuesday's victory marks just the sixth EMU win in Athens in program history and is the second of head Coach Rob Murphy's tenure.
Redshirt senior Elijah Minnie led the Eagles with 19 points and pulled down six rebounds, while senior James Thompson IV notched the 69th double-double of his career with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Redshirt senior Paul Jackson tacked on 10 points and dished out a game-high seven assists.
Eastern Michigan received contributions from up and down its lineup, as it outscored Ohio in bench points, 11-3, marking just the third time in MAC play the Eagles have cracked double-digits in reserve points.
The Eagles also held the advantage in overall shooting percentage (45.3 percent to 41.8 percent), three-point shooting (33.3 percent to 25.0 percent), rebounding (31 to 30), and fastbreak points (19 to 10).
Jason Carter and Teyvion Kirk paced Ohio with 18 points apiece.