Friday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 77, Kent State 72
Eastern Michigan 84, Central Michigan 73
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 77, Kent State 72
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio - The Akron men's basketball team claimed its first Mid-American Conference Regular Season title since 2020 after taking down Rival Kent State 77-72 at James A. Rhodes Arena on Friday.
With the win, the Zips have defeated Kent State in the past five meetings.
The Zips (23-6, 15-1) had two players score in double figures, led by Tavari Johnson, who had 16 points. Nate Johnson tacked on a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Shammah Scott added nine points, six rebounds and three steals.
Led by James Okonkwo's four offensive rebounds, Akron did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 17 boards that resulted in 14 second chance points.
Akron forced 13 Kent State turnovers that turned into 21 points on the other end of the floor. Scott's three steals led the way for Akron.
After falling behind 2-0, Akron went on a 7-0 run with 18:05 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Tavari Johnson, to take a 7-2 lead. The Zips then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 39-32.
Kent State kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 42-32 advantage before Akron went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Seth Wilson's three, to shrink the deficit to 42-38 with 18:15 to go in the contest. The Zips kept the rally going and took the lead for good on Nate Johnson's free throw with 02:27 left for a 77-72 comeback victory. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 14 of its 45 total points.
The Zips travel to Toledo to battle the Rockets on Tuesday, March 5 for a 7 p.m. start
Eastern Michigan 84, Central Michigan 73
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – A 7-of-15 first-half three-point shooting performance helped the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team maintain dominance against Central Michigan University, as the Eagles topped CMU 84-73 Friday, Feb. 28, inside a raucous George Gervin GameAbove Center. The win helps Eastern creep closer to a spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Jalen Terry (Flint, Mich./Beecher/Oregon/DePaul) knocked down six threes, leading the team and marking his fifth time this season scoring 25 points with six or more made threes. Terry is the first player to achieve this statline more than twice in a single season since at least the 2001-02 season as Eastern made 12 triples for the first time since 2015.
Da'Sean Nelson (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) tied a season high in fouls drawn with 12, knocked down a season high 13 free throws, recorded his 13th career 20+ point performance and posted his third career double-double as Eastern lead for a season long for 38:32 minutes of the 40 minute contest.
Eastern started hot from behind the arc, going 5-of-9 (55.6%) from three-point range in the first eight minutes, resulting in a 22-12 lead.
A 14-6 run helped Eastern establish a 16 point lead at the 5:46 mark in the first half. However, Central Michigan used a 12-2 run to cut the Eastern lead to six before the Eagles took a 44-36 lead going into halftime.
Ball movement was a focal point of Eastern's offense as 10 of its 15 first half baskets were off of assists with Nelson leading the team with four first half assists.
EMU scored nine of the second half's first points before the Chippewas rallied a 6-0 run to reel the game back to within four points.
Terry had the hot hand, nailing three shots from behind the arc in a three minute span, helping the Eagles secure a 67-57 lead at the 8:53 mark in the second half.
CMU came within five points at the 5:30 mark but a pair of Terry threes halted their momentum, culminating in three free throws in the closing minute to ice the game.
EMU capitalized on CMU mistakes scoring 12 points off of turnovers and 17 second chance points.
Eastern Michigan travels to Ohio University to face the Bobcats at the Convocation Center Tuesday, March 4, at 7 p.m.
