Mid-American Conference

AKRON, Ohio (AP) Kwan Cheatham Jr. and Noah Robotham each scored 16 points and Akron used a 44-30 rebounding advantage and a late run to beat American University 72-62 in their home opener on Thursday night.

Trailing 33-25 at halftime, American rallied to within 40-37 on James Washington's layup and 3-pointer. Jimond Ivey dunked on Akron's next possession, sparking a 13-5 run and the Zips pulled ahead 53-43 with 5:38 left and the Eagles (0-3) got no closer than 8 the rest of the way.

Cheatham grabbed 12 rebounds, Isaiah Johnson scored 14 points and had 10 boards and Ivey added 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Zips (1-1) were held to 36 percent shooting from the floor (20 of 55) but made 27 of 34 free throws (79 percent).

Zips players were presented their 2015-16 Mid-American Conference Regular-Season Championship rings before the game. Akron finished 26-9 overall and 13-5 in league play last season.

Washington and Delante Jones led American with 18 points each.
 

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo men's basketball team allowed just 13 second half points on Thursday night, defeating Nazareth in its home opener, 85-38.  The 38 points allowed by the Bulls are their fewest in a game since February 1, 1979.
 

The Bulls got a total team effort as they improved to 2-1 on the season.  All 11 players who saw action for the team found the scoring column and both sophomore Nick Perkins and senior Blake Hamilton hit different career highs.

Nazareth took its only lead of the game early at 8-7 and Buffalo led by just two at 15-13 when UB went on a 13-0 run, capped off on a steal and fast break layup from freshman Davonta Jordan.  Buffalo was shooting it well from downtown in the first half as it hit three triples during the run.  The Bulls led by as many as 18 points in the first half and took a 41-25 lead into the break.
UB came out in the second half and turned up the defensive intensity as Nazareth shot just 16.7% from the floor in the second half and just 1-of-8 from three-point range.  In all, the Bulls outscored Nazareth in the second half, 44-13.

It started with a 16-4 run over the first six minutes of the half and then with the Bulls leading 57-33, they went on a 22-2 run as a layup from Willie Conner gave Buffalo a 79-35 lead with 4:13 left.  Nazareth responded by hitting a three with 3:51 remaining, but it would be the final points of the night for the Golden Flyers as UB scored the last six points, including a pair from junior Christian Pino.

Perkins led the Bulls with a career-high 21 points, the second 20-point game of his career, and the first since last year's NCAA Tournament game against Miami (FL).  Perkins went 8-of-11 from the floor, while adding eight rebounds, four blocks, an assist and a steal.

Hamilton dished out a career-best 11 assists, while he also added eight points, five rebounds, two blocks and three steals.  Conner finished the night with 15 points, while freshman Quate McKinziehad nine points going a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc.  Sophomore Ikenna Smart added nine points and seven rebounds.

Senior David Kadiri finished with six points and seven rebounds and James Jones added five points.  Dontay Caruthers and Davonta Jordan each finished with four points, while they added five and four assists, respectively.

Pino played the final four minutes and had two points, while also recording his first two career rebounds.  Nikola Rackicevic also added two points.

Tonight's game for Nazareth was an exhibition, but the Golden Flyers were led by 10 points from Brendan Wind.

The Bulls will now begin a season-long six-game road trip starting next Wednesday night in the Great Alaska Shootout.  Buffalo will face the host Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves with an 11:00 pm EST tipoff.  The game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) Marcus Keene scored 23 points, Braylon Rayson had 22 and Central Michigan rolled to a 107-58 win over Marygrove on Thursday night.

Kevin McKay added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Chippewas (3-0), who only led 40-30 at halftime.

Central Michigan had a 59-41 rebounding advantage and forced the Mustangs (1-8), an NAIA school in Detroit, into 25 turnovers.

The Chippewas opened the second half with a 31-7 run. They made 10 of 41 3-pointers and shot 45 percent overall (40 of 89) and went 17 of 23 at the foul line. The Mustangs attempted just five free throws and shot 33 percent from the field, going 5 of 24 behind the arc.

Nate Taylor had 14 points and Eli Ingram 11 for Marygrove.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins watched his team slice a double-digit lead to three points against defending national champion Villanova. Then the third-ranked Wildcats showed once more they're built to handle tough games.

''They did what they do,'' Hawkins said.

Villanova used a 13-4 run down the stretch for a 76-65 win over the Broncos (1-2) on Thursday to start the Charleston Classic. Western Michigan had cut a 14-point second-half lead to 59-56 to draw within striking distances of the Wildcats.

That's when Eric Paschall, Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart all hit 3-pointers to keep Villanova undefeated and off to its fourth straight 3-0 start.

Paschall finished with 17 points, and Jalen Brunson and Hart had 14 each. Jenkins, who's shot at the end gave the Wildcats their national title last April, had 11.

''It was a good, tough game,'' Wildcats coach Jay Wright said. ''It wasn't pretty, though and we've still got to get a lot better.''

Villanova improved to 12-0 in early season tournaments over the years. The Wildcats are chasing their third consecutive crown after winning the Legends Classic in 2014 and NIT season tipoff last year.

Jalen Brunson said the Wildcats, who toughed out a 79-76 win at No. 15 Purdue on Monday night, didn't panic at Western Michigan's charge. ''We've got veterans and it's a situation we've seen before,'' he said.

The Wildcats will face Wake Forest, a 103-81 winner over UTEP, on Friday for a spot in Sunday's championship.

The Broncos (1-2) fell to 0-4 at the eight-team Charleston tournament. They lost all three games when they last visited in the 2008-09 season. Thomas Wilder led Western Michigan with 19 points.