Saturday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 105, Milwaukee 81
Buffalo 71, Canisuis 53
Kent State 123, Penn State Shenango 59
Lafayette 55, Ball State 37
Valparaiso 84, Western Michigan 55
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 105, Milwaukee 81
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio -The Akron men's basketball team saw seven players scored in double figures while shooting 65 percent from the field in a 105-81 victory over Milwaukee at James A. Rhodes Arena Saturday night.
Amani Lyles and Tavari Johnson both recorded new career-highs against the Panthers. Lyles set a new career-high in scoring (25) while Johnson set a new career-high in assists (11)
The Zips (6-2) were led on offense by Lyles, who had 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Evan Mahaffey added 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals and Shammah Scott chipped in as well with 14 points. Johnson recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists. Eric Mahaffey, Sharron Young and Chabi Barre all scored in double figures as well.
Johnson recorded a double-double in points and assists for the second straight season, as he hit the mark at Eastern Michigan last season when he had a 10 point, 10 assist night against the Eagles.
Akron also recorded it's 20th consecutive win at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Akron out-rebounded Milwaukee 38-37 in Saturday's game, paced by Lyles' nine boards.
The Akron defense held Milwaukee shooters to just 37.7 percent from the field.
After playing to a 7-7 tie, Akron went on a 7-0 run with 16:10 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Tavari Johnson, to take a 14-7 lead. The Zips then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 52-39 advantage. Akron did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 28 of its 52 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 64-45 before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Bowen Hardman's layup, to grow the lead to 72-45 with 14:05 to go in the contest. The Panthers narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 105-81 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 19 of its 53 total points.
Akron returns to the JAR to host Bucknell on Wednesday, December 3 for a 7 p.m. start.
Buffalo 71, Canisuis 53
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo men's basketball team (8-0, 0-0 MAC) defeated the Canisius Golden Griffins (4-4, 0-0 MAAC) in the Battle Over Main Street on Saturday evening, 71-53. This is just the second time in their Division I era that Buffalo has started the season 8-0, the first came in 2018-19.
The Bulls were explosive from beyond the three-point line. Ryan Sabol led the Bulls in scoring with 24 points as reigning MAC Player of the Week Daniel Freitag scored 21. They both combined for 11-of-25 from deep. Freitag added six rebounds, all of which came on the defensive end. Sabol had four rebounds and four assists on the night.
The last time two Bulls made at least five threes in a game was on March 11, 2021, when Jeenathan Williams and Ronaldo Segu did so against Miami (OH).
The Golden Griffins had their way in the paint as they outscored the Bulls, 32-14, but the Bulls bested the home team from three point range. Buffalo finished with 13 threes to Canisius's three.
In front of a lively crowd in the Koessler Athletic Centers in downtown Buffalo, Canisius jumped to their largest led of the game at 12-4 just over five and a half minutes into the contest. The tides shifted as the Bulls captured a 22-20 lead and never surrendered the lead the rest of the night. A Tim Oboh fastbreak dunk closed the half as they Bulls went to the locker room leading, 34-29.
The Bulls' defense held the Golden Griffins to just 29.6% from the floor as they held them to just 1-for-9 from three-point range. Buffalo's defense transitioned into offense as their largest lead of the season came on Saturday night as they led by 22 points halfway through the half. The Bulls took a 61-39 lead after going on a 21-3 run over a seven-minute stretch. In the run, Sabol was 5-of-6 from the floor as he went on to score 16 second half points. After padding their lead, the Bulls cruised to victory, 71-53.
The Bulls are back in action next Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Click here for tickets.
Kent State 123, Penn State Shenango 59
Box Score
KENT – The Kent State Men's Basketball team (7-1) extended their win streak to seven in a row on Saturday night defeating Penn State Shenango by a final score of 123-59. Nearly every Golden Flash scored as seven players tallied double-digits. Cian Medley set a new single-game school record in assists, and Kent State's 123 points on 51 shots made also updates the record book.
Kent State fired out of the gate as Rayvon Griffith threw down the opening two points. That set the tone early as the Flashes led by as much as 20-0 before PSU Shenango got their first point. With 3:15 to play in the first have Deandre Jones netted his first collegiate points on his way to leading the roster. He went on to throw in his first dunk with 2:33 to play. Not to be out done Landon Vanderwarker put down a two-hand slam at 1:21. Cian Medley recorded 12 of his 16 assists in the first half as Kent State went to the locker room up 60-17. The Golden Flashes went right back to work in the second half. At 12:33 in the second half Medley dished the basketball to Dezmon Briscoe underneath who threw it down to make history giving the program record in assists in a single game to his teammate. With under 10 minutes to play Coach Senderoff fully emptied the bench with Jaymen Townsend, Drew Huffman, and Dylan Lakatos entering the game to thunderous applause in the M.A.C. Center. Both Huffman and Lakatos got on the score sheet prior to the final horn.
Kent State's 123 points broke the previous program single game record of 119. The victory marked the third largest margin of victory for a KSU team (64 points). The Flashes also went 51-88 from the floor to mark the second highest number of field goals made in a single game. Medley's 16 assists broke Joe McKeown's record of 15 set on March 1, 1978. Jones led the Flashes with 19 points in just his second career appearance. Gillespie's double-double streak extended to eight with 14 points and 12 rebounds. He continues to lead the nation solo in double-doubles. Other double-digit performances included Rayvon Griffith (14), Vanderwarker (12), Jahari Williamson (11), Briscoe (11), and Magnus Entenmann (11). It marks the first time six or more Flashes scored double-digits in a game since Nov. 30, 2023 in a 103-61 win over Shawnee State University.
Kent State will be back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 3 to host Austin Peay State University. Tip-off between the Golden Flashes and Governors is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
