Wednesday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 97, Bucknell 77
Kent State 96, Austin Peay 84
UMass 78, Harvard 71
Ohio 79, Maine 57
Western Michigan 88, Southern Indiana 74
Evansville 64, Ball State 52
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 97, Bucknell 77
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio - Amani Lyles collected 24 points and Tavari Johnson added 23 as the Akron men's basketball team knocked off the Bucknell Bison 97-77 at home Wednesday.
Lyles and Johnson's stellar scoring performances led the Zips (7-2) in the contest. Lyles tacked on five rebounds and four assists and Johnson added five assists. Evan Mahaffey also helped out with 10 points and four assists.
Akron utilized excellent ball movement in Wednesday's game, piling up 25 assists on 35 made field goals. Individually, Sharron Young was on top of the distribution list for the Zips with six assists. In total, five Zips recorded four or more assists, with Shammah Scott and Johnson following close behind Young with five each. Lyles and Mahaffey each had four helpers.
Akron moves to 58-4 under John Groce when recording 85 or more points, along with a 32-0 record when recording 20 or more assists in a game under Groce.
The Zips also recorded their 21st consecutive win at James A. Rhodes Arena and have won the past 41 non-conference matchups at the JAR.
After playing to a 34-34 tie, Akron went on a 7-0 run with 3:42 left in the first half to take a 41-34 lead. The Zips then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 49-36 advantage. Akron took advantage of seven offensive rebounds to score nine second-chance points out of 49 total in the period.
Akron kept its lead intact before going on an 11-0 run, finished off by Johnson's three, to grow the lead to 60-42 with 15:07 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 97-77 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 14 of its 48 total points.
Akron hits the road to battle Tulane on Saturday, December 6, for a 4 p.m. start.
Kent State 96, Austin Peay 84
Box Score
KENT – The Kent State Men's Basketball team (8-1) tallied their eighth straight victory on Wednesday night defeating Austin Peay State University by a final score of 96-84. Kent State nearly doubled their scoring total in the second half to stay out in front of their visitors from the ASUN.
Kent State's early buckets came from Rob Whaley Jr., Delrecco Gillespie, and Jahari Williamson getting out to a 12-8 run by the first media timeout. The Governors stayed close behind tying the game at 14 with 12:00 to play in the first. The Golden Flashes utilized solid defense to go on a 15 to 12 run to take a 36-32 lead into the half. Austin Peay took their first lead of the game with back-to-back threes to start the second half. With 13:29 to play the Governors led by four points before the Flashes began their push to retake charge. Kent State used unselfish play to build their lead with Morgan Safford, Cian Medley, and especially Jahari Williamson heating up down the stretch. Great defensive play from Flashes such Rayvon Griffith allowed Kent State to put the game away in the closing minutes. The Blue and Gold ultimately took the game by 12 points in a 96-83 final.
Kent State's 60-point second half is the most they have score in a half this season. Gillespie's double-double streak extended to nine games with 22 points and 10 rebounds. He continues to lead the nation solo in double-doubles, and is second nationally in rebounds. Williamson was second on the score sheet for KSU with 18 points going 6-7 from three. It marks his season high in points and from long range. Medley tallied his sixth double-digit performance of the year so far and eight assists. Rob Whaley Jr. notched his fifth double-digit game of the year dropping 15 points.
Kent State will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 6 to host Roberts Wesleyan University. Tip-off between the Golden Flashes and Redhawks is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
UMass 78, Harvard 71
Recap coming soon…
Ohio 79, Maine 57
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (2-6) returned to the Convocation Center on Wednesday (Dec. 3) night for a matchup with Maine (0-10). Ten different Bobcats would score in a cohesive team effort to earn the 79-57 victory.
As a team, Ohio shot 46.5 percent from the field, converting 33 field goals, including six three-pointers. The Bobcats recorded season-highs in rebounds with 44 and assists with 18. Ohio was also proficient from the free-throw line, converting all seven attempts.
The Bobcats were led in scoring by redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio), who had 17 points, four rebounds and three assists. Freshman guard JJ Kelly (Chambersburg, Pa.) tallied a career high of 14 points against Maine to go along with two blocks and six rebounds. Senior forward Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) recorded his second double-digit rebounding game of the season with a team-leading 11 rebounds to go along with his nine points.
Points were hard to come by for both teams in a defensive first 10 minutes. With just under 12 minutes to play in the first half, Ohio held a slim 11-8 lead, being led in scoring by Hadaway, who made each of his first three baskets for an early six points.
The Bobcats would begin to build a lead midway through the first half with a 9-0 run that was highlighted by a three from sophomore guard Elijah Elliott (Orlando, Fla.) to take a 21-12 lead. By the end of the run, Ohio led Maine 23-12 with 6:46 to play in the half.
Ohio would continue to find offensive success in the final minutes of the first half, scoring on each of its final three possessions to take a 38-23 lead into the half.
The first half was highlighted by an impressive defensive effort, resulting in the fewest first-half points allowed by Ohio all season.
The Bobcat offense stayed hot going into the second half, scoring on each of its first four possessions, giving them points on seven straight possessions going back to the end of the first half. After four minutes of play in the second half, Ohio led Maine 46-32.
The Bobcats would continue to play consistent Basketball in the second half and build a sizeable lead. With 6:53 to play in the game, redshirt senior forward Jalen Breath (Oklahoma City, Okla.) converted on a three-point play to give Ohio a 22-point lead, its largest of the game so far.
Ohio would continue to build its lead in the game's final minutes, going up by as many as 25 points before securing a 79-57 victory.
The Bobcats will be back in action this Saturday, Dec. 6, when they take on Marshall at the Convocation Center. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
Western Michigan 88, Southern Indiana 74
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team scored a season-high 47 first-half points on the way to an 88-74 victory over Southern Indiana on Wednesday night at University Arena.
Jayden Brewer led the way for the Broncos (4-5) with a career-high tying 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting. The senior also notched 10 rebounds to collect his fourth double-double of the season. EJ Ryans joined Brewer in double-figures with a career-high 14 points for the Brown and Gold, while the duo of Trey Lewis (12 points, 9 rebounds) and Max Burton (9 points, 8 rebounds) each nearly recorded double-doubles of their own.
After Southern Indiana (3-6) made the first basket of the night, the Broncos ripped off the next 17 points, the first 10 of which were scored by Brewer. An 8-2 spurt helped USI close the gap to 24-17. At 32-25, Western Michigan tallied another eight consecutive points to ignite a 15-2 run to close the half and take a 47-27 advantage into the locker room. WMU's defense held the Screaming Eagles without a field goal for the final 5:20 of the period.
Western Michigan's lead got as high as 23 in the second half, with Ryans nailing a three-pointer to make it 64-41 with just under 12 minutes remaining. Just past the midway point of the period, USI rattled off 10 in a row as part of a 16-2 run to trim the margin to 69-60. The Screaming Eagles got as close as seven, 78-71, in the final two minutes of the contest, but WMU notched nine straight points to put the game away.
The Broncos shot a season-best 54.7 percent (35-of-64) from the floor and made a season-high 10 three-pointers. USI connected on 41.8 percent (23-of-55) of its field goal attempts. WMU was dominant inside throughout, owning a 41-33 edge on the glass and 44-16 advantage in points-in-the-paint.
Western Michigan hits the road for its next two games, beginning on Saturday afternoon at SIUE. Tip is scheduled for 2 pm on ESPN+.
