Saturday’s MAC Men’s Basketball Results
Ohio 82, Morehead State 76
Kent State 103, Hampton 64
Buffalo 92, Niagara 72
Miami 71, Bradley 55
Michigan State 101, Eastern Michigan 48
Green Bay 85, Northern Illinois 84
Wright State 79, Toledo 72
Quinnipiac 69, Bowling Green 64
Liberty 80, Akron 67
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Ohio 82, Morehead State 76
Boxscore
ATHENS, Ohio -- Jordan Dartis sank five 3-pointers and scored 25 points and Ben Vander Plas added 24 points and 11 rebounds to help Ohio hold off Morehead State 82-76 on Saturday.
Dartis hit 8 of 13 shots from the floor for the Bobcats (8-4), who shot 55% overall. Vander Plas, a sophomore, did his damage on 10-of-15 shooting and picked up his third double-double of the season. Jason Preston pitched in with 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Jordan Walker had 24 points to pace the Eagles (5-7). Walker hit 6 of 10 from beyond the arc. Djimon Henson added 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, making all three of his 3-point tries.
Ta'lon Cooper's jumper pulled Morehead State even at 65 with 5:39 left in the game, but Lunden McDay and Dartis hit back-to-back 3s and Ohio never looked back.
Kent State 103, Hampton 64
Boxscore
KENT, Ohio -- Danny Pippen tied his career high with a season-high 21 points as Kent State won its seventh straight home game, rolling past Hampton 103-64 on Saturday night.
Pippen hit 4 of 6 3-pointers.
Anthony Roberts had 19 points for Kent State (10-2). Roberts knocked down 5 of 6 from deep as the Golden Flashes were 13 of 28 from beyond the arc. They were 21 of 29 from the floor in the first half (72%) and finished shooting 35 of 61 (57%) while limiting Hampton to 21-of-52 shooting (40%).
Troy Simons added 13 points. CJ Williamson and Antonio Williams chipped in 10 points apiece.
It was the first time this season Kent State scored at least 100 points.
Kent State put up 60 points in the first half, a season high for the team.
Ben Stanley had 28 points for the Pirates (4-8), who have lost seven of their last eight games.
Kent State matches up against Mississippi State on the road next Monday. Hampton faces St. Peter's at home next Saturday.
Buffalo 92, Niagara 72
Boxscore
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Jayvon Graves had 22 points as Buffalo easily defeated Niagara 92-72 on Saturday.
Graves shot 6 for 9 from behind the arc. He added six assists.
Jeenathan Williams had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Buffalo (8-4). Josh Mballa added 12 points and nine rebounds. Gabe Grant had 12 points for the home team.
James Towns had 19 points for the Purple Eagles (2-8). Greg Kuakumensah added 15 points. Raheem Solomon had 13 points.
Buffalo takes on Saint Bonaventure at home next Monday. Niagara takes on Syracuse on the road next Saturday.
Miami 71, Bradley 55
Boxscore
Nike Sibande had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lift Miami (Ohio) to a 71-55 win over Bradley on Saturday.
Dalonte Brown had 12 points for Miami (6-6). Isaiah Coleman-Lands added 11 points. Dae Dae Grant had eight rebounds for the RedHawks.
Miami led 30-27 at halftime. After Myja White opened the second half with a 3-pointer, the RedHawks quickly went ahead by 11, leading 39-28 with 16:34 to go. Bradley drew within nine points once but Miami led by double digits throughout the final 10 minutes.
Ville Tahvanainen led Bradley (8-4) with 12 points and Nate Kennell added 11 points. Koch Bar had 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Bradley faces Toledo at home on Dec. 28. Miami (Ohio) plays Wilberforce at home on Dec. 30.
Michigan State 101, Eastern Michigan 48
Boxscore
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball programs dropped a 101-48 non-conference affair at No. 15/18 Michigan State University tonight, Dec. 21, inside the Breslin Center. MSU (9-3) held Eastern (9-2) without a basket until the 12:14 mark of the first half, while making 54 percent of its shots and holding the Eagles to 19 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
Redshirt junior Ty Groce led the Eagles with nine points to go along with five rebounds. Redshirt senior Boubacar Toure added seven points to join his six rebounds and a pair of steals.
Eastern Michigan will take a break for the Holiday season and will travel to Sin City to challenge the UNLV Runnin' Rebels on Dec. 28. Tip is slated for 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET).
Green Bay 85, Northern Illinois 84
Boxscore
DEKALB, Ill. -- JayQuan McCloud had a career-high 32 points as Green Bay edged past Northern Illinois 85-84 on Saturday.
Manny Patterson had 15 points for Green Bay (5-8). Cody Schwartz added 11 points and nine rebounds. Amari Davis had nine rebounds for the visitors.
Eugene German had 21 points and six assists for the Huskies (7-6). Trendon Hankerson added 18 points. Lacey James had 12 points and eight rebounds.
Green Bay takes on Wright St. on the road next Saturday. Northern Illinois plays Buffalo on the road next Saturday.
Wright State 79, Toledo 72
Boxscore
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Tanner Holden scored 27 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, both career highs, as Wright State topped Toledo 79-72 on Saturday.
Holden hit 9 of 10 shots and went 9-for-12 at the line as the Shockers (10-3) made 22-of-28 free throws. Cole Gentry added a career-best 18 points for Wright State, making all eight of his free throw chances to hold off the Rockets. Jaylon Hall added nine points and seven rebounds while Loudon Love had eight points, seven boards and three assists.
Wichita State broke open a 2-point game with a 10-0 run midway through the second half, sparked by a driving layup from Holden, who also dunked, scored another layup and made two free throws in the two-minute surge.
Toledo didn't get closer than eight until the final minute. Gentry made all eight free throws in the last 53 seconds.
Bill Wampler, who led the Raiders in scoring coming into the matchup with 14 points per game, scored 7 points (2 of 10), hampered by three fouls.
Marreon Jackson had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets (8-4). Willie Jackson added 15 points and nine rebounds before fouling out. Luke Knapke had 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Wright St. faces Green Bay at home next Saturday. Toledo plays Bradley on the road next Saturday.
Quinnipiac 69, Bowling Green 64
Boxscore
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Matt Balanc came off the bench to score 11 of his 16 points in the second half to lead Quinnipiac to a 69-64 win over Bowling Green on Saturday in the consolation game of the Battle of the Boardwalk.
Jacob Rigoni had 16 points for Quinnipiac (5-5). Tyrese Williams added 12 points. Kevin Marfo had 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Bobcats.
Rich Kelly, whose 18 points per game heading into the matchup led the Bobcats, shot only 2 of 10 from the field, but was 5-for-6 at the line for 10 points.
After falling behind 39-33 at halftime, Quinnipiac outscored Bowling Green 36-25 in the second half to earn the victory. The Falcons' 25 second-half points marked a season low for the team.
Daeqwon Plowden had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Falcons (8-4). Caleb Fields added 15 points. Matiss Kulackovskis had 10 points.
Dylan Frye, the Falcons' second leading scorer heading into the matchup at 14 points per game, had only 7 points on 3-of-13 shooting, including 0-for-7 from distance.
Quinnipiac takes on Marist on the road next Friday. Bowling Green matches up against Hartford at home next Tuesday.
Liberty 80, Akron 67
Boxscore
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Caleb Homesley scored 16 points and Scottie James scored 15 and Liberty beat Akron 80-67 in a DC Holiday Hoops Fest contest on Saturday.
Elijah Cuffee and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz each scored 12 for the Flames who shot 66.7% (34 of 51) from the field.
Liberty closed the first half with an 11-0 run in 4 1/2 minutes and led 32-28. Cuffee's 3-pointer with 14:58 left made it a 44-34 lead and the Flames led by double digits for most of the remainder.
With the win, Liberty improved to 14-0 for the first time in school history. Prior to the season, the Flames' best-ever start was 6-0 in 1974. The 14-game win streak is the longest in school history, surpassing the 1980 team that won 11 straight. Liberty received 25 points in the AP Top 25 Poll, the most in school history.
The Flames next travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to play LSU on Dec. 29.
