Monday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Bowling Green 125, Seina Heights 66
Buffalo 92, Penn State Behrend 63
UMass 91, UMass Boston 40
Miami 135, Milligan 81
Ohio 102, Miami-Hamilton 59
Western Michigan 94, Defiance College 57
Wisconsin 88, Central Michigan 61
Wright State 70, Eastern Michigan 64
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Bowling Green 125, Seina Heights 66
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team bested the Siena Heights Saints Monday (Dec. 22) inside the Stroh Center, 125-66. The win marks the 10th of the season for the Falcons, the fourth time in program history with 10 wins before the holiday break and the first time since 1947-48. The win also marks the fourth straight for Bowling Green, their longest winning streak of the season. After a brief break, the 10-3 Falcons will resume MAC play on Dec. 30 against undefeated Miami (OH) with a 7 p.m. tip inside the Stroh Center.
Josiah Shackelford led BGSU's scorers with 21 points, including a season-high five three-pointers, his second 20-point game of the season. Shackelford was one of six Falcons to register double-digit points with a total of 13 different Falcons registering a tally in the scoring column. As a team, Bowling Green shot 58.8-percent from the field, the fifth time this season BGSU has shot above 50-percent in a game and the third time in the last four contests.
Troy Glover II started the scoring for BGSU with back-to-back buckets followed by a Justin Thomas layup for a 6-0 start. Siena Heights hit a three, but back-to-back triples from Josiah Shackelford made it a 12-3 BGSU lead at the first media timeout.
After the timeout, Siena Heights made two at the line to end the BGSU run. Makhi Leach answered with a layup, but a 5-0 run for the Saints followed, cutting the score to 14-10 at the under-12 media timeout.
Leach made a free throw after the timeout to put the Falcons back on the board. Layups from Javontae Campbell and Camden Karel kept the scoring going for a 22-10 advantage. Siena Heights made a jumper, but a 5-0 run followed with a Javon Ruffin three and Thomas layup, forcing a Saints timeout with a 27-12 BGSU lead.
Out of the break, Ruffin drilled another three followed by a Thomas fast break dunk and a Glover layup to keep the run going. Siena Heights added two layups, but a Mayar Wol basket made it a 36-16 BGSU lead at the under-8 media timeout.
After the break, Aiden Goins got an and-one to go to restart the scoring. Siena Heights answered, but another Goins bucket matched. Jason Kimbrough Jr. later joined the scoring with a three and a jumper, separated by a Siena Heights free throw. The back-and-forth resumed with a jumper for the Saints followed by a Sam Towns jumper for a 48-21 score at the final media timeout of the half.
Kimbrough added two at the line, but Siena Heights matched in the same fashion. Kimbrough sank a jumper, but two more at the line for the Saints again matched. A three for the Saints closed out the first half scoring with a 52-28 BGSU lead at the midway point.
Thomas started the second half scoring with a jumper. Siena Heights answered with three points, but Ruffin matched with a triple. The Falcons went back to work with layups from Towns and Campbell with Campbell's being an and-one. Towns added a dunk, but Siena Heights hit two at the line. Towns responded with a pair of free throws of his own. Glover made a layup before a back-and-forth started. For BGSU, Thomas and Glover each tallied two plus a Leach and-one and Squire layup for a 77-40 score at the first media timeout of the second half.
Siena Heights hit two jumpers out of the break, but a three from Wol and layup for Thomas came as the Bowling Green response. The Saints made a basket, but an and-one for Glover answered followed by two Shackelford free throws. BGSU kept it going with a Campbell dunk, a Leach layup and a Ruffin layup for a 93-49 advantage at the first called timeout of the second half.
Out of the break, Leach got an and-one to go, drawing the under-12 media timeout with the score at 95-49 and his free throw coming after the stoppage, making it for a 96-49 score. The Saints hit a three, but a layup from Wol and two free throws for Aiden Goins put the Falcons into triple-digits, 100-52. A dunk from Shackelford, a three from Wol and a Leach layup made it 107-54 Falcons at the under-8 timeout.
Bowling Green kept the offensive pressure on. Karel made a tip-in followed by a Shackelford three. A similar sequence followed with Squire and Karel tip-ins and another Shackelford triple. Leach and Shackelford both got layups to go before the final media timeout, leading 123-64. Down the stretch, each team added a basket with BGSU's coming from Mohamed Maxamud for the 125-66 final score.
The Falcons will take a brief hiatus for the holidays, but will resume play in just over a week with the thick of MAC play. Bowling Green will host the currently undefeated Miami (OH) RedHawks on Dec. 30 for a 7 p.m. tip inside the Stroh Center.
Buffalo 92, Penn State Behrend 63
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. – In their final home game of the 2025 calendar year, the University at Buffalo men's basketball team (11-2, 1-0 MAC) defeated the visiting Penn State Behrend Lions (7-4, 4-0 AMCC), 92-63. With the win, the Bulls improved to 11-2 on the season.
Buffalo's solid ball movement led to 28 assists on 35-made baskets. The Bulls were 35-of-56 from the field, good for a .625 field goal percentage. This mark is tied for the eighth-best field goal percentage in a single game in program history, tying their performance against Toledo last season. Their 28 assists are tied for the third-most in program history in a single game. Buffalo's assist to turnover ratio reached new levels as they turned the ball over just six times in the affair, good for the fourth fewest in a game in program history.
The Bulls drilled a season-high 14 three-points as they were 14-for-27 (51.9%).
Ryan Sabol led the Bulls with his second 30-point performance on the year. He was 12-of-14 from the floor, including tying his career-high in made three-pointers with seven. He tallied 31 points, two rebounds, four assists and a steal. Ezra McKenna led the Bulls with a career-high eight assists as he scored 12 points. Noah Batchelor scored 11 points with four rebounds as Angelo Brizzi added 12 points and a game-high two steals. Mikhail Pocknett secured eight boards to go with his eight points.
The Lions made their presence known to start the contest as they held a trio of leads to start the game. Trailing 10-7, Sabol tied the game with his third three of the contest, just five minutes in. Batchelor got in on the deep shot as he put the Bulls in front at 13-10 with 14:27 to go in the half. The Lions stayed around as they cut Buffalo's lead to one, but Buffalo's lead would soon balloon to 15 before the half. Headed to the locker room, the Bulls led the Lions, 51-37. Both teams were efficient from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. Buffalo was 20-of-30 (66.7%) as the Lions were 15-of-30 (50.0%). A significant difference was that the Bulls were 9-of-15 (60.0%) from three-point range as Penn State Behrend only made five shot from beyond the arc.
Buffalo kept their foot on the gas in the second half. Buffalo's lead reached 20 points at 66-46 with just over 12 minutes to go in regulation as Pocknett made a second chance layup. Out of the media timeout, a pair of three-pointers by Sabol and McKenna put the Bulls in front by 26. Head Coach George Halcovage III emptied his bench as Matas Buteliauskas, Aleksa Vlajic and Daniel Shao entered the game with a few minutes remaining. Vlajic made his first collegiate basket on a layup assisted by Derrick Talton Jr. Buteliauskas made his first collegiate basket in style as he drained a three-pointer with under a minute remaining. The Bulls went on to win in dominant fashion against the visitors, 92-63.
The Bulls are back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 30th at Northern Illinois where they will move their attention to Mid-American Conference play.
UMass 91, UMass Boston 40
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. -- University of Massachusetts men's basketball downed UMass Boston, 91-40, on Monday afternoon at the Mullins Center (2,014). The Minutemen (9-4) never trailed in the contest against the Beacons (5-6).
Graduate student forward Leonardo Bettiol led the Minutemen with 20 points on an efficient 9-for-10 from the field, tacking on eight rebounds, two assists and a block. Senior Daniel Hankins-Sanford and first-year Danny Carbuccia each chipped in 11 points, while Charles Outlaw posted 10 points. Sophomore forward Luka Damjanac nabbed a career-high 12 rebounds.
For UMass Boston, Raphel Laurent posted 19 points with two triples. Davon Sanders did a bit of everything for the Beacons, dishing out five assists and securing five boards.
After scoring 19 seconds into action, Bettiol connected back-to-back layups to give UMass a 10-1 lead at the 16:20 mark. Bettiol and Carbuccia combined for a 10-0 run to pace the Minutemen to a 16-1 lead with 14:12 left in the half. Massachusetts pulled ahead 30-11 as Carbuccia went on a 5-0 run alone, which included back-to-back finishes at the rim with over five minutes left in the first half. Outlaw secured his first points with the Minutemen, hammering down a dunk at the 2:42 mark. UMass closed out the first half with a 41-21 lead.
Bettiol connected on consecutive layups at the rim to open the second half, extending the Minutemen lead to 45-23. Jayden Ndjigue later whipped a no-look pass to an open Hankins-Sanford who finished through contact to put UMass up 49-23 with 17:22 left in second. A Dimitri Clerc layup extended the Minutemen run to 21-0 to put UMass up 64-23. Outlaw's second slam of the afternoon extended the UMass lead to over 50, leading 83-32 with 6:43 to go in the game.
The Minutemen play Eastern Michigan at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at the Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
Miami 135, Milligan 81
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University men's basketball team (13-0, 1-0 MAC) flew past Milligan (3-10) for a 135-81 win at Millett Hall on Monday afternoon. Trey Perry led all players with 24 points, while five other RedHawks scored in double figures. Te'Jon McDaniel-McCormick led the Buffaloes with 23 points. This contest counted as an exhibition for the Buffaloes.
Peter Suder opened the scoring with a driving layup, while Antwone Woolfolk added a hook shot and Eian Elmer put in a short jumper to lead 6-3. A pair of triples from Luke Skaljac and Almar Atlason increased the RedHawk advantage to 14-5. The shots from beyond the arc didn't slow down, as Brant Byers, Kyle Waltz and Suder each knocked down a deep shot to stretch the lead to 25-7 with 12:34 left in the first half.
A few shots from inside the arc and a downpour of triples, led by Atlason who sank three more shots from downtown, pushed the score to 49-25. Skaljac dished the ball around to Tyler Robbins for a pair of interior buckets and also found Perry for a three to put the score at 58-30. Robbins and Skaljac each added a shot from behind the three-point line, and Robbins grabbed an offensive rebound for a tip-in shot to send the RedHawks into halftime ahead 68-35.
Skaljac scored first for the RedHawks with a layup, and Elmer brought the crowd to its feet the next possession with an emphatic one-hand slam dunk. Byers added a pair of layups, two free throws and a triple at 84-45 with 16:30 on the game clock. Byers, Elmer and Perry continued the barrage of shots from far out to give Miami a 40-point lead at 99-59 with just over 11 minutes remaining.
Woolfolk went on to score a two-hand dunk and a shot off the glass at 104-61. Elmer added yet another dunk after blowing past his defender and added two free throws to lead 112-68 with 6:17 to go. Perry began to take over late, scoring three layups, one of which he was fouled on, and added a free throw to make it a 123-73 ball game. The RedHawks did not look back, finishing off the Buffaloes 135-81.
Miami heads north to Bowling Green on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m.
Ohio 102, Miami-Hamilton 59
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio Men's Basketball team (6-7, 0-1 MAC) took on Miami Hamilton (6-5) for its final nonconference game of the season at the Convocation Center. After a dominant shooting performance all around, the Bobcats won 102-59.
For the first time all season, Ohio scored more than 100 points thanks to an incredibly efficient shooting performance by the whole team. From the field, the Bobcats made 36 of their 58 attempts for a 62.1% shooting percentage while also making a season-high 14 threes. Ohio would also set a season high with 13 steals.
Ten different Bobcats scored against Miami Hamilton, with freshman forward Jordan Fisher (Pickerington, Ohio) having a breakout performance, scoring a career-high 17 points in just 13 minutes to lead the Bobcats. Senior guard Dior Conners (Columbus, Ohio) recorded his season-high of 16 points to go along with two assists and a steal. Three-point shooting was incredible for the Bobcats, an effort led by both Conners and senior guard Ajay Sheldon (Dublin, Ohio), who made four threes each in the contest. Four other Bobcats also reached double figures with redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) and freshman guard JJ Kelly (Chambersburg, Pa.) each scoring 10, redshirt freshman guard Jesse Burris (Delaware, Ohio) going for 12, and redshirt freshman forward Kiir Kuany (Melbourne, Australia) contributing 15.
Sheldon got the Bobcats started by making each of his first two shots, both being threes. Despite a hot start from the field, Ohio still wasn't able to pull away. After five minutes, the team led just 12-10.
Ohio would continue to shoot the ball well in the first half, especially from three. With just over 10 minutes to play, the team led 23-15 thanks to five made three pointers, three of which were by Sheldon.
The Bobcats took their first double-digit lead of the game when Simmons found Kelly underneath the basket for an open layup, making the score 33-23. A double-digit scoring run for Ohio would lead to as much as a 16-point lead before the half's final media timeout.
In the final four minutes of the half, Ohio would continue to build its lead, entering the halftime break with a 52-34 lead after making six of its last seven shots.
Kelly got the scoring started in the second half with a commanding dunk following a steal on the other end. Conners would continue his career day early in the second half with a three-pointer to contribute to a 12-0 run to extend Ohio's lead.
Midway through the second half, Ohio continued to shoot above 55 percent from the field and from three, contributing to a game-high 78-48 lead.
The Bobcats didn't slow down, with scoring coming easily for almost every player who saw time in the game. Fisher came in towards the end of the half, contributing all 17 of his points down the stretch to build Ohio's lead.
As the clock hit zero, it was all Ohio. The Bobcats walked away with a 102-59 victory over Miami Hamilton.
After a short holiday break, Ohio will return to action Tuesday, Dec. 30, for a Mid-American Conference matchup with Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant, Mich. That game will tip off at 3 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
Western Michigan 94, Defiance College 57
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team had four players score in double-figures and set numerous season-bests in a 94-57 victory over Defiance College on Monday afternoon at University Arena.
The Broncos (6-7) posted season highs in points (94), made field goals (37), assists (20) and steals (13). Western Michigan's defense also set season lows in points allowed (57) and opponent field goals (19).
Jalen Griffith led the Brown and Gold with 16 points, six assists and a career-high five steals. Jayden Brewer tallied 15 points and a team-leading eight rebounds for WMU, with Brady Swartz adding 11 points and Michael Sulaka notching a career-high 10 points.
With the contest even at 12-12, Western Michigan rattled off seven straight to begin an 11-2 run and go in front, 23-14. Defiance tallied the next five points to whittle the margin to 23-19 just past the midway point of the half. A 10-point burst pushed WMU's advantage into double-digits for the first time at 40-24, and the Brown and Gold took a 48-32 lead into the locker room.
The Broncos continued to add to their cushion in the early stages of the second half, tallying eight of the first nine points out of the break to bump the margin to 56-33. At 70-47, an 18-3 surge extended Western Michigan's advantage to 88-50, and a short while later the Brown and Gold reached their largest lead of the day, 92-53.
WMU shot 54.4 percent (37-of-68) from the field for the afternoon and hit 81.0 percent (17-of-21) of its free throws. Defiance connected on 35.8 percent (19-of-53) of its field goal tries.
Following its holiday break, Western Michigan returns to Mid-American Conference action on Tuesday, Dec., 30 at Toledo. Tip is set for 6:30 pm on ESPN+.
