Friday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 99, UMass 92
No. 23 Miami 90, Ohio 74

Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments

Akron 99, UMass 92
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio -The Akron men's basketball team used a 55-point second half to secure a 99-92 win over the UMass Minutemen at home Friday.

Akron has now won 29 straight games at James A. Rhodes Arena, 10 conference games in a row and has notched its fifth straight season with at least 20 wins.

The Zips (20-5, 11-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Tavari Johnson, who had 23 points and four assists. Amani Lyles tacked on 19 points, Shammah Scott added 14 points, while Evan Mahaffey notched 11 points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists.

Johnson also moved into sixth for career assists, passing Nate Barnett (1972-75). With his 23 points, he also moved to 23rd on the all-time scoring list, now recording 1,246 career points as a Zip.

Akron recorded its 17th game with 85 or more points, moving to 15-2 on the season and 104-22 under head coach John Groce.

The Zips converted their free throw opportunities, going 38-of-43, just two shy of the school record of 40 made FT against Marietta on Dec. 12, 1956.

Akron grabbed 34 rebounds in Friday's game compared to UMass' 29, led by Eric Mahaffey's 11 boards.

Akron forced 16 UMass turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Friday's game. The Zips turned those takeaways into 24 points on the other end of the floor. Evan Mahaffey led the way individually with three steals.

After falling behind 11-6, Akron went on a 15-0 run with 16:16 left in the first half to take a 21-11 lead. The Zips then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 44-43 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 44 points.

Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 66-63 before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Lyles' three, to grow the lead to 73-63 with 10:40 to go in the contest. The Minutemen narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 99-92 win. Akron capitalized on 10 UMass turnovers in the period, collecting 16 points off those turnovers.

The Zips return to the road as it battles Western Michigan on Tuesday, February 17 at 7 p.m.

No. 23 Miami 90, Ohio 74
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio – Five different RedHawks scored in double figures as the Miami University men's basketball team captured a 90-74 victory over arch-rival Ohio University on Friday night. Brant Byers had 21 points and Peter Suder poured in 20 to help the RedHawks remain the only undefeated team in the nation at 25-0, 12-0 MAC. Jackson Paveletzke had a game-high 22 points for the Bobcats (13-13, 7-6 MAC).

An Eian Elmer layup and triple from the left corner gave Miami a 5-4 edge over the Bobcats. A pair of threes from Luke Skaljac and Byers kept the RedHawks ahead 15-10. Suder tipped in a shot and then went on to knock down a pull-up jumper to keep Miami in control at 26-20 with 7:59 remaining in the first half.

Elmer used a pump fake to get to the basket for a finger roll layup and then slipped past his defender for another shot at the rim to make it 30-26. A traditional three-point play under the basket from Byers and an Almar Atlason three from the right side of the floor gave Miami its first double-digit advantage of the night at 41-30. Justin Kirby scored the final points of the first half for the Red and White by attacking the rim for a left-hand layup to lead 43-35 entering the break.

Byers got to the free-throw line on back-to-back possessions to fuel a 5-0 run at the start of the second half. Numerous layups and a shot off the glass from Suder made it a 56-44 ball game to fend off the Bobcats. Kirby sank a right-wing shot from downtown and went on to find Atlason in the paint with a bounce pass to stretch the score to 63-48. Elmer, Skaljac and Byers each recorded a shot from behind the three-point line to give Miami its first 20-point lead of the evening at 79-59 with just under seven minutes of action left.

Byers added two more free throws to bring his total to 13 on the night, and Elmer finished a driving layup to send the RedHawks into the final media timeout with an 83-66 lead. A turnaround jump shot and two free throws from Suder, as well as Atlason's second three of the game, sealed a 90-74 victory over the Bobcats.

With today's win, the Red and White extended its home win streak to 29 games and matched last season's win total. Today's attendance matched the Millett Hall record of 10,640, set back on Jan. 31, versus NIU.

Miami is 12-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1957-58 season. Byers had a career-best 13 made free throws to go along with three blocks.

Atlason matched his season-best with six rebounds. The Red and White shot 50% or better from the field (30-of-58) for the 19th time this season.

Miami hits the road for a contest at UMass on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m.