Thursday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 104, Princeton 69
Massachusetts 83, Albany 62
Bradley 85, Central Michigan 54
Marshall 85, Toledo 73

Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments

Akron 104, Princeton 69
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio - Four Zips scored in double-figures, led by Tavari Johnson's 21 points, as the Akron men's basketball team took down the Princeton Tigers 104-69 at James A. Rhodes Arena Saturday afternoon. 

Johnson led all scorers with his 21 points, going 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, while adding six assists , one steal and one block to lead the Zips (2-0). Amani Lyles produced 16 points on a 4-of-5 shooting performance while also going 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Evan Mahaffey and Eric Mahaffey both notched 14 points on a combined 11-of-16 shooting performance. Eric added nine rebounds while Evan grabbed five.

Led by Zach Halligan's two offensive rebounds, Akron did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 11 boards that resulted in 16 second chance points.

Akron's defense held Princeton to only 35.4 percent shooting from the field.

After jumping out to a 15-13 advantage, Akron went on a 15-0 run with 13:54 left in the first half to increase its lead to 30-13. The Zips then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 47-27 advantage. Akron got out and ran in the period, scoring 13 points on the break.

Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 63-41 before going on a 12-0 run, finished off by Lyles' layup, to grow the lead to 75-41 with 10:58 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 104-69 win. Akron shot well from three-point range in the half, 

Akron hosts Penn State Shenango on Wednesday, November 12, for a 7 p.m. start.

Massachusetts 83, Albany 62
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass -- Massachusetts basketball (1-1) secured a convincing 83-62 victory over UAlbany (1-1) on Saturday night at the Mullins Center.  

The Minutemen were led by Leonardo Bettiol with 23 points. The graduate student went 8-for-12 from the field, recording one three pointer while going 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Bettiol also grabbed eight rebounds.  

Senior Daniel Hankins-Sanford recorded his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. K'Jei Parker scored 12 points, including a 4-for-4 showing from the free throw line. Massachusetts led for a total of 29:51 on the night and won the points in the paint, 42-26.  

The Great Danes were led by Kempson who scored 17 points with five rebounds and four assists. 

Bettiol opened the scoring for the Minutemen with a layup less than two minutes into the game. 

UAlbany got on the board with a free throw by Isaac Abidde. 

Donovan Brown had back-to-back baskets to give the Minutemen an 11-9 advantage. 

Off a steal, Jaden Kempson tied the game at 11-11 with 13:31 on the clock with Yaya Keita giving the Great Danes the lead. 

Jayden Ndjigue's jumper quickly tied the game back at 13 apiece. 

After falling behind, free throws by Parker, Ndjigue and Hankins-Sanford evened the score, 21-21, with 8:15 left in the half. 

The Minutemen engineered a 6-0 run over two minutes for a 29-23 lead. 

A pair of baskets from Okechukwu Okeke, put UAlbany within two. 

Highlighted by a three-point play from Marcus Banks Jr, the teams exchanged baskets with the Minutemen taking a 38-32 lead into halftime. 

Out of the break, Ndjigue found Bettiol under the basket to spark a short 5-0 run over two minutes of play. 

Amir Lindsey scored UAlbany's first points of the second half. 

A pair of triples by Parker extended the Minutemen lead, 51-37 with 14:16 left to play. 

The teams traded baskets with Dwayne Wimbley Jr.'s trey for a 17 point advantage. 

Matulu capped a 6-0 run over a minute to cut the lead. 

Massachusetts answered with a 7-1 run just over a minute for a 66-52 score with 8:52 left in the half. 

Kempson's free throws snapped a two minute scoring drought for the Great Danes. 

Bettiol sparked a 9-2 run on his own over nearly three minutes highlighted by a basket from the arc for a 77-58 lead with 2:46 left to play 

The Minutemen rode out the remaining minutes outscoring the Great Danes, 8-2 to secure an 83-62 win. 

The Minutemen will host Le Moyne at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Mullins Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).