Saturday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 69, Eastern Michigan 45
Northern Illinois 73, Buffalo 72
Central Michigan 93, Miami 82
Western Michigan 77, Ohio 65
Stories courtesy of the Associated Press
Akron 69, Eastern Michigan 45
Boxscore
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Tyler Cheese and Loren Cristian Jackson scored 17 points apiece as Akron beat Eastern Michigan 69-45 on Saturday.
Xeyrius Williams added 16 points for the Zips. Jackson also had six rebounds for the Zips.
The game marked the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.
Ty Groce had 13 points for the Eagles (10-4). Boubacar Toure added 11 points and 17 rebounds.
Noah Morgan, who was second on the Eagles in scoring heading into the matchup with 10 points per game, shot only 20 percent in the game (1 of 5). He also had seven turnovers.
Akron (11-3) takes on Western Michigan at home on Tuesday. Eastern Michigan faces Ohio on the road on Tuesday.
Northern Illinois 73, Buffalo 72
Boxscore
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Eugene German matched his season high with 26 points as Northern Illinois held off a late rally by Buffalo to defeat the defending Mid-American Conference champs 73-72 on Saturday.
The win was Northern Illinois' first in Buffalo since 2003. German moved into third place on the NIU career scoring list with 1,859 points.
Lacey James added 18 points with 13 rebounds for Northern Illinois (8-6, 1-0), which shot 54% for the game (29-for-54). German drilled five 3-pointers including one to tie and one for the lead as NIU surged ahead after five minutes.
The Huskies held the lead until Buffalo's Jayvon Graves hit two free throws that put the Bulls ahead 72-71 with 33.5 seconds on the clock. The Bulls forced five turnovers during a 9-0 late-game run.
Trenton Hankerson made two free throws -- his only points of the game -- to put NIU back on top for the win, 73-72.
Jeenathan Williams had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls (9-5, 0-1), Graves added 16 points, six rebounds and four steals. Josh Mballa had 11 points and 11 rebounds for his second career double-double.
Northern Illinois plays Central Michigan on the road on Tuesday. Buffalo plays Ball St. on the road on Tuesday.
Central Michigan 93, Miami 82
Boxscore
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- Dallas Morgan scored 23 points, making 5 of 7 3-pointers, and Central Michigan stretched its home winning streak to eight games with a 93-82 victory over Miami in a Mid-American Conference opener on Saturday.
Central Michigan led 43-38 at halftime and Miami was still within 55-52 with 13:56 to go in the second half. The Chippewas scored the next eight points to go up 63-52 and led by at least eight points throughout the remainder of the game.
David DiLeo had 16 points for Central Michigan (8-6, 1-0). Devontae Lane added 14 points and six rebounds. Kevin McKay had 13 points for the Chippewas.
Nike Sibande had 22 points for the RedHawks (7-7, 0-1). Mekhi Lairy added 18 points and Dae Dae Grant scored 11.
Central Michigan plays at home against Northern Illinois on Tuesday. Miami plays at Bowling Green on Tuesday.
Western Michigan 77, Ohio 65
Boxscore
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- B. Artis White and Brandon Johnson scored 18 points apiece as Western Michigan topped Ohio 77-65 on Saturday.
Titus Wright added 16 points for the Broncos, while Michael Flowers chipped in 15. Johnson also had eight rebounds for the Broncos, while Flowers posted seven rebounds.
The game marked the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.
Ben Vander Plas had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Bobcats (8-6). Jordan Dartis added 14 points. Jason Preston had 11 points and seven assists.
Western Michigan (8-6) plays Akron on the road on Tuesday. Ohio plays Eastern Michigan at home on Tuesday.
