Saturday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Bowling Green 68, Ohio 58
Buffalo 88, Western Michigan 71
Kent State 69, UMass 59
Miami 86, Ball State 77
Northern Illinois 74, Central Michigan 73
Toledo 100, Lourdes 67
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Bowling Green 68, Ohio 58
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team opened up play within the Mid-American Conference on Saturday (Dec. 20) against the Ohio Bobcats, claiming a 68-58 victory on the road. The Falcons worked to build a 13-point lead at the halftime whistle, growing to as many as 19 in the second half. The Bobcats attempted a comeback, but the Falcons' defense held strong, forcing Ohio to shoot just 37.0-percent from the field, including only six made field goals in the second half. The win moves BGSU to 9-3 on the season while beginning MAC play with a 1-0 standing.
Bowling Green won the opening tip, but it was Ohio with the first points, making a mid-range jumper. Justin Thomas answered for the Falcons with a bucket in the paint.
The back-and-forth continued with a Javon Ruffin three for the Falcons, bookended by Ohio points in the paint. The Bobcats added another layup, but a Thomas triple tied it, 8-8. A jumper for Ohio gave them a 10-8 advantage at the first media timeout.
Out of the break, Javontae Campbell dished it to Towns for a floater, tying the score again, this time at 10-10. Thomas swiped a steal and found Campbell on a fastbreak. A foul sent Campbell to the line, making both. Thomas followed with another three the next time down, making it a 7-0 BGSU run and 15-10 lead.
Ohio ended the run with a three, pulling back within a possession. For the Falcons, Mayar Wol made two at the line to restart the scoring after drawing a foul off a fastbreak that was started by a Troy Glover II steal. The Bobcats made another three, but a technical foul sent Ruffin to the line, making both for a 19-16 lead at the under-12 media timeout.
The Bobcats pulled within one, but a three from Towns kept the Falcons in the lead. A layup from Ruffin began a back-and-forth that included a Campbell layup as well. A free throw for Ohio made it a 26-23 score at the under-8 media timeout.
The first points out of the break came on a quick BGSU basket. Thomas made a long pass to Josiah Shackelford underneath the basket for two. Ohio Later matched to stay within a possession.
Makhi Leach answered for BGSU with back-to-back buckets in the paint. Camden Karel kept it going with a layup for a 6-0 run and 34-25 lead. Ohio ended the run with a three for a 34-28 score at the final media break of the first half.
After the timeout, Campbell went to the line for Bowling Green, making both in the trip. Ohio made one at the stripe, but Towns sank another two for BGSU. Towns added a tip-in layup off an inbound and Campbell got a layup to go before the half, making it a 42-29 score at the break following an 8-1 run for the Falcons to close the half.
The first point of the second half came on an Ohio free throw followed by a three. Campbell got the scoring going for the Falcons with a layup. Campbell then swiped a steal before Thomas found Glover for a slam, making it 46-33 at the first media stoppage of the half, coming from an Ohio challenge. The same score held to the under-16 media timeout as well.
Ohio added two free throws, but Aiden Goins answered with a basket through traffic.The Bobcats made another free throw, but Towns responded with a three for the Falcons. Campbell later drew a three-point foul, making all three at the line. Ohio again made one at the line for a 54-37 BGSU lead at the under-12 media timeout.
Out of the break, Campbell drove for two, but the Bobcats worked for four at the line. Towns ended the brief Bobcat burst with points in the paint followed by a dunk for Glover, both assisted by Campbell, for a 60-41 lead at the under-8 timeout.
OU made two free throws after the break. Another Glover slam answered, but a 7-0 Bobcat run cut into the lead, 62-50 at the final media timeout in regulation.
After the break, Ohio made four at the line across three trips, cutting the lead to single-digits, 62-54, with an 11-0 run. A second-chance OU jumper made it 62-56 before a BGSU timeout.
Campbell ended the run for the Falcons, making two at the line. Ohio answered with a layup before burning a timeout with 24 seconds on the clock. Towns went to the line for BGSU, making two. Campbell then went back to the stripe, making it the eventual 68-58 final.
The Falcons will return home for their next contest, hosting the Siena Heights Saints on Monday (Dec. 22) inside the Stroh Center for a 2 p.m. tip. After a break for the holidays, the Falcons will resume play on Dec. 30, hosting Miami (OH) for a 7 p.m. start.
Buffalo 88, Western Michigan 71
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The University at Buffalo men's basketball team (10-2, 1-0 MAC) picked up their 10th win of the season with an 88-71 win over the Western Michigan Broncos (5-7, 0-1 MAC) on Saturday afternoon to open Mid-American Conference play. For the first time this season five Bulls scored double figures.
In the win, the Bulls turned the ball over just four times. This tied the program record for fewest turnovers in a single game as the 2018-19 squad did so against Miami (OH).
Buffalo showcased balanced scoring as Ryan Sabol buried five first half threes before tallying 19 total points. Daniel Freitag recorded his sixth 20-point performance of the season. He also added a game-high six assists. The big men in Ezra McKenna and Tim Oboh each scored 15 points each. Oboh recorded his first career double-double in the affair as he snagged 13 rebounds, a career high. Angelo Brizzi knocked in a pair of threes in the second half to put him at 10 points on the day.
Western Michigan took a 6-2 lead 2:40 into the contest. After the Bulls tied the game at 6, they ignited a 17-4 run midway through the first half to take a 23-12 lead. The run was fueled by timely threes from Sabol and McKenna off the bench. During Buffalo's run, the defense held the Broncos to 1-of-13 from the floor. Buffalo's nine offensive rebounds led to 12 second chance points. Western Michigan's seven rebounds on the offensive end of the court amounted to no points. Buffalo headed to the locker room leading the Broncos, 41-28.
Western Michigan forced a Buffalo timeout with the Bulls leading 51-41 with 14:00 remaining in the game. The Bulls utilized a 7-0 run out of the timeout to extend their lead to 58-41. With the game seemingly out of reach, the Broncos cut Buffalo's lead down to nine three more times. Buffalo iced the game as they went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final 90 seconds.
The Bulls are back in action on Monday as they host Penn State Behrend at 6:30 p.m.
Kent State 69, UMass 59
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass – The Kent State Men's Basketball team (10-2) welcomed the University of Massachusetts Minutemen to the MAC on Saturday afternoon defeating them in the conference opener by a 69-59 final score. Delrecco Gillespie tallied another double-double and Quinn Woidke scored a new career high 19 points leading KSU in scoring in the win.
What began an even up game at the start turned into a defensive display by Kent State roughly 10 minutes in. KSU opened outscoring UMass 16-10 in that time. The Blue and Gold outscored the Minutemen 21-13 behind the play of great stops and 16 combined points from Quinn Woidke and Rob Whaley Jr. The Flashes took a 35-24 lead into the half. With 12:40 to play UMass trimmed the Kent State lead down to 10 points. Following a couple of empty possessions from the Flashes, UMass' K'jei Parker hit a three to close the deficit to three points with under nine minutes to play. The Golden Flashes kept in front with strong rebounding down the stretch. With under 3:20 left to- play, Woidke and Rob Whaley Jr. made some key free throws before Gillespie iced the game with a three at the top of the key to make it 62-55 Flashes with 1:36 left. Kent State added a few more with free throws to take the win by 10 points.
Freshman guard Quinn Woidke dropped 19 points going with six buckets including four threes. He posted a new season and career high in the win. Gillespie posted double-double number 11 (18 points, 20 rebounds). His 11 in 12 games continues to lead the nation in the statistic and he remains top three in rebounds. His 20 boards were good enough to help him surpass 500 total career rebounds as he now sits at 509. Cian Medley continues to lead the way in assists with eight in the win. He is 19th nationally and the Flashes averaging 6.5 per game. Rob Whaley Jr. with 10 points posted double-digit performance number six on the season.
The Golden Flashes will be back in action on Monday, Dec. 29 at Purdue University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Mackey Arena.
Miami 86, Ball State 77
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Miami University men's basketball team (12-0, 1-0 MAC) took down Ball State (3-9, 0-1 MAC) 86-77 at Worthen Arena to earn its first conference victory on Saturday afternoon. Almar Atlason led all players with 26 points, while Eian Elmer (20), Brant Byers (16) and Peter Suder (10) added double digits in scoring. Elmore James led the Cardinals with 20 points.
A Suder triple from the left wing and a driving layup from Evan Ipsaro put Miami ahead 5-2 at the start. The Cardinals went on to take the lead, but an Atlason three and a baseline drive from Byers that led to a shot off the glass through contact kept the RedHawks within striking distance at 12-10. Despite the Cardinals' push to pull away, Elmer rattled off a pair of shots from beyond the arc and attacked the rim for a layup to trail by just one point at 23-22 with 7:35 before halftime.
Elmer stayed hot from the top of the three-point line, knocking down his third deep shot of the day, and Antwone Woolfolk finessed his way into the paint with a spin move to help Miami reclaim the lead at 27-26. Byers sank back-to-back threes, and Atlason joined in on the three-point barrage to keep the RedHawks above the Cardinals 36-33. Atlason made two free throws, and Suder flew past his defender for a layup with just seconds remaining on the game clock to send Miami into the intermission with a 40-36 advantage.
Byers opened the second half by driving down the right line and using his left hand for a layup. Miami stayed hot from behind the three-point line, as Suder and Elmer each put in a three on consecutive possessions to take a 50-39 lead. Numerous free throws from Suder, Byers and Elmer helped fend off the Cardinals at 56-47. Ball State closed within just two points at 60-58 before two more free throws from Elmer and Atlason's third three of the game pushed the Redhawks back on top 65-58 with eight minutes of action remaining.
The Cardinals continued to make it difficult on the Red and White, as they closed within three at 65-62. Elmer ended Ball State's scoring run at 67-62 with a jumper, and Atlason responded by scoring 15 straight points for the RedHawks to fend off the Cardinals at 82-71. Byers and Luke Skaljac ended the game by each knocking down shots at the free-throw line to take down Ball State 86-77.
Miami returns home to host Milligan on Monday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.
Northern Illinois 74, Central Michigan 73
Box Score
DEKALB, Ill. – Taj Walters (Bronx, N.Y./Moravian Prep) tip-in at the buzzer lifted the Northern Illinois University men's basketball to a 74-73 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 20) in the Mid-American Conference opener at the NIU Convocation Center. The Huskies rallied from down 20 with 14:30 left to claim the win.
Dylan Ducommun (Geneva, Switzerland) netted a team-high 18 points, Gustav Winther (Roskilde, Denmark) finished with a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, Walters scored 13 points and Makhai Valentine (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) chipped in 10 points.
NIU's 20-point comeback is its largest since Nov. 30, 2014, when the Huskies overcame a 21-point deficit to defeat Maine, 61-56.
Tailing 62-45 with 9:40 left, five-straight points from Ducommun started a 9-2 spurt for NIU as the Huskies cut the Central Michigan lead down to just 10. Winther and Walters added baskets off offensive rebounds during the burst as the Huskies trimmed the Chippewas lead to 64-54 with 7:42 to go.
Following a free throw for Central Michigan, the Huskies scored the five, capped by a Walters layup off a turnover, as NIU pulled within a half-dozen, 65-59, with 5:49 remaining.
Still trailing by six, Ducommun found Valentine for a dunk with 2:24 left, bringing NIU within four, 70-66.
Central Michigan went back up by seven, 73-66, with a triple with 1:54 left, but NIU scored the next six on free throws from Winther and Ducommun, sandwiched around a Ducommun bucket, as NIU cut the Chippewa lead to one, 73-72, with 12 seconds remaining.
NIU (5-7, 1-0 MAC) fouled with 6.8 seconds remaining and Central Michigan missed the front end of the one-and-one. With no timeouts, the Huskies raced the length of the floor and Ducommun missed the initial shot, but Walters tipped the ball in just before the horn to complete the comeback.
Central Michigan (4-8, 0-1 MAC) led 12-11 in the early going before the Chippewas used a 12-2 burst to push its advantage to 24-13 with 9:15 to play in the opening half, forcing a NIU timeout. The visitors added a triple out of the timeout as the Central Michigan advantage grew to 27-13.
A pair of free throws from Walters sparked a 6-2 burst for the Huskies as NIU trimmed the Central Michigan lead to 31-20. Gianni Cobb (Chicago, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) added a bucket and Walters had a dunk off a Chippewa turnover during the spurt.
The Chippewas hit a triple as time expired to end the half as they took a 44-27 lead into the intermission.
With the visitors in front, 48-34, Central Michigan used a 6-0 burst to increase its lead to 54-34 with 14:32 to play in the second half.
A corner triple from Walters ended the CMU run and ignited a 9-2 burst for the Huskies, trimming the CMU lead to 56-43 with 11:09 left, but the Chippewas scored next four as the lead for the visitors ballooned back to 17, 60-43.
Nick Mullen and Nathan Claerbaut each scored 18 points to lead Central Michigan; Logan McIntire added 14 points.
NIU will take a 10-day holiday break before returning to action on Tuesday, Dec. 30, when the Huskies host Buffalo. Game time against the Bulls is scheduled for 7 p.m. and tickets are available now at NIUHuskies.com/tickets.
Toledo 100, Lourdes 67
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo men's basketball team closed out its pre-conference slate in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon, powering past NAIA foe Lourdes University by a 100–67 margin in Savage Arena. The Rockets (6-6) produced one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season, shooting 58.3% from the field and assisting on 29-of-42 made baskets.
Five Rockets scored in double figures as Toledo controlled the game from start to finish.
Leroy Blyden Jr. led the way with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including three three-pointers.
Sonny Wilson orchestrated the offense with 17 points, career-high eight assists, and zero turnovers in 28 minutes.
Kyler Vanderjagt added 13 points and knocked down three triples.
Sean Craig posted an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double, his activity helping Toledo dominate the glass.
Jaylan Ouwinga provided a boost off the bench with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
The Rockets exploded early, shooting a blistering 64.7% in the first half to take a 49–28 lead into the break. Toledo continued its efficient play after halftime, never allowing Lourdes to cut meaningfully into the lead.
Derek Fairley topped the Gray Wolves with 34 points.
Toledo will open Mid-American Conference play on Tuesday, Dec. 30 vs. Western Michigan at 6:30 p.m. at Savage Arena. The Rockets will then play their next two league games on the road at Central Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 3 and Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
