Saturday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Central Michigan 87, Kent State 85
UMass 79, Ball State 71
Ohio 92, Buffalo 80
Western Michigan 79, Eastern Michigan 62
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Central Michigan 87, Kent State 85
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.—Central Michigan made all the right plays down the stretch to claim its first Mid-American Conference victory of the 2025-26 season, a dramatic come-from-behind 87-85 win over Kent State Saturday afternoon at McGuirk Arena.
It was a total team effort from the Chippewas but Central Michigan received outstanding performances from Keenan Garner, Phat Phat Brooks, and Tamario Adley. Defensively, Garner played down low at the 4 and 5 positions and ended up scoring a career-high 16 points, grabbing four rebounds, and hitting all six of his free throw attempts. His two steal and dunks were the highlighted plays for Central Michigan. Brooks also scored a career-high 20 points on 6-15 shooting and hit a career-best two 3-pointers. Adley finished with 15 points, including three 3-pointers and a career-high tying eight rebounds.
Center Nathan Claerbaut added nine points and eight rebounds and Logan McIntire chipped in eight points and seven rebounds.
In a game that featured 13 lead changes and 10 ties, the Chippewas found themselves trailing by seven points (77-70) with 4:44 to play. But Central Michigan quickly erased the deficit with a 7-0 run as Phat Phat Brooks swished a 3-pointer, followed by a layup by Keenan Garner to cut the lead down to two points. After a Kent State timeout, Garner stepped in front of a Kent State pass and dribbled down floor for a dunk to tie the game at 77-77 with 3:45 to play.
After Kent State's Rob Whaley, Jr. scored on a 3-point play, it was all Chippewas as they put together an 8-0 run and never trailed again. Brooks scored on a floating jump shot, McIntire converted a driving layup off a Brooks assist, Adley grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback, and Claerbaut scored on a putback to give CMU a commanding 85-80 lead with 39 seconds to play.
The Golden Flashes made it interesting as they cut the lead down to two points on a Jahari Williamson 3-pointer with four seconds to play, but Adley rebounded a missed free throw to seal the victory.
Though Kent State held a 49-39 rebounding advantage, including 22 offensive rebounds, the Chippewas grabbed every rebound down the stretch and made the plays when it counted most.
Kent State was paced by Williamson's game-high 23 points while converting 6-11 3-pointers and Morgan Safford's 20 points and seven rebounds. Delrecco Gillespie grabbed a game-high 23 rebounds and scored eight points. The Golden Flashes entered the game undefeated at 3-0 in MAC play and averaging 91.0 points per game. Gillespie came into the game averaging 20.0 points and 11.7 rebounds.
It was Garner's defense in the low post, spectacular steals, and CMU's extra effort on the defensive glass down the stretch that helped the Chippewas win.
Before a back-and-forth second half, Central Michigan held a 49-43 lead at halftime. The Chippewas used a 7-0 late in the half to take its six-point lead into the break. Garner started the rally with a 3-point play off a layup and McIntire assist, Nick Mullen hit a layup, and McIntire scored on an offensive rebound putback.
The victory ended a five-game losing streak for Central Michigan.
Central Michigan improved to 5-12 overall and 1-4 in MAC play, while Kent State dropped to 12-4 overall and 3-1 in MAC play. Next up, Central Michigan travels to Oxford to take on undefeated Miami, Ohio (5-0 MAC, 17-0 overall) on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
UMass 79, Ball State 71
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. -- The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team defeated Ball State, 79-71, at the Mullins Center on Saturday afternoon (4,010).
Graduate student Leonardo Bettiol went 7-for-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe to put up a team-leading 20 points. Bettiol added eight rebounds, three assists and a steal on the day. It marked the first Mid-American Conference win for the Minutemen (10-7,1-4 MAC), while Ball State moved to 0-4 in league play (4-12 overall).
Marcus Banks Jr. posted 17 points, including 16 in the second half, and K'Jei Parker followed with 14. Daniel Hankins-Sanford recorded his sixth double-double of the year, scoring 10 points and coming down with a game-high 10 boards. Danny Carbuccia led in assists with six.
For Ball State, Davion Hill led the way with 22 points, shooting 9-for-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while tallying seven rebounds. Armoni Zeigler and Preston Copeland each had 12 points on the afternoon for the Cardinals, with Zeigler dishing out six dimes.
Danny Carbuccia, Leonardo Bettiol, Marcus Banks Jr., Daniel Hankins-Sanford and Jayden Ndjigue started for the Minutemen.
Bettiol scored the first four points for UMass, before pushing it to a 9-5 UMass lead at 13:55.
Parker hit a tear drop floater from the lane to cut the deficit to one, 16-15, with 6:36 remaining in the first half.
A pair of Bettiol free throws regained the lead for the Minutemen, 17-16, with under six minutes to play in the first half.
Parker responded to a Ball State three with a triple of his own from the top of the key, putting Massachusetts up one, 22-21, with 3:54 left in the half.
Carbuccia found Bettiol on the block, who tossed in a right-handed baby hook shot for a 26-25 lead with 94 seconds in the first.
Ndjigue faked two defenders and finished at the rim to put UMass ahead, 28-25, for a lead it would hold onto until the half.
Banks Jr., buried a triple from the left wing to open the second half scoring, putting Massachusetts ahead 31-25.
After two quick Ball State baskets, Bettiol responded by finishing at the rim through contact, converting an and-one to push the Minutemen lead back to five at 34-29, with 16:54 on the clock.
The Cardinals worked a pair of free throws and knocked down a corner three to knot the game at 34 with 15:32 remaining.
Isaiah Placide responded to back-to-back Ball State layups with a triple from the left wing, regaining the lead for the Minutemen, 39-38, with 13:29 left.
Hankins-Sanford collected an offensive miss and flipped it out to Banks Jr., for his second triple of the night, giving UMass a 43-38 lead.
Luka Damjanac extended the UMass run to eight with a strong finish inside at 12:10 of the second half.
Banks Jr., scooped an underhand pass to a waiting Bettiol under the basket for an easy two, keeping UMass ahead by seven, 47-40, at 10:27.
Placide knocked down his second triple of the half to pull the Minutemen ahead, 50-40, with less than 10 minutes to play.
Parker scored five straight points for UMass, one from the left wing and a jumper from the free throw line to put Massachusetts ahead 55-45 with 8:38 to play.
Bettiol connected from the right block at 4:32 to keep UMass ahead, 63-55.
Banks Jr., nailed consecutive triples to put the Minutemen ahead by 11 at 69-58, with 3:07 remaining in the contest.
Banks Jr., hit nothing but net from the right corner to keep Massachusetts ahead by double figures at 74-64 at 1:24.
The Minutemen then secured a 79-71 victory. The Minutemen continue conference play on the road at Western Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 13, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m.
Ohio 92, Buffalo 80
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (10-7, 4-1 MAC) entered the Convocation Center Saturday (Jan. 10) on a four-game winning streak, looking to make it five against a formidable conference opponent, Buffalo (13-3, 3-1 MAC). After a second half that saw the Bobcats outscore the Bulls 47-33, Ohio would come away with a 91-80 victory.
Ohio shot 59.6 percent from the field with 34 made field goals, six of which were from three. The Bobcats out-rebounded Buffalo 39-26 while also forcing 11 turnovers on the defensive end, 10 of which came in the second half. Ohio moved the ball well against Buffalo, scoring 15 baskets off assists.
Senior forward Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) led the Bobcats with a double-double, including 27 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wisc.) was also impressive, scoring 23 to aid another impressive shooting night for the Bobcats. Paveletzke was also impressive in creating scoring chances for his teammates, tallying eight assists. Three other Bobcats scored in double figures with freshman guard JJ Kelly (Chambersburg, Pa.) and redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) each going for 13 and senior guard Ajay Sheldon (Dublin, Ohio) going for 10.
Hadaway got the Bobcats started with back-to-back buckets to give the Bobcats a 4-0 lead in the game's first minute. A consistent team effort would help Ohio extend its lead to 9-4, with three different Bobcats contributing to the scoring.
The Bobcats and the Bulls would trade baskets for a majority of the opening minutes of the first half after an early Ohio lead. Buffalo would take its first lead of the game with under 12 minutes to play at 20-17, but Ohio would respond.
Facing its first deficit of the day, Ohio would score on five-straight possessions but was still unable to overtake Buffalo, which was shooting equally as well.
An 8-0 run, including a three by Hadaway and a three by Sheldon, would bring the Bobcats right back in it late in the half after facing what was once a 10-point deficit. Hadaway had 17 of the Bobcats' points as they trailed 36-34 with under five to play.
Ohio would tie the game at 38 when Hadaway made yet another basket. Despite battling all the way back from a double-digit deficit, the Bobcats were unable to retake the lead in the first half and would trail 47-44 at the break.
The Bobcats were consistent on both ends of the floor to start the second half. After forcing two turnovers and a couple of clean offensive possessions, Ohio was right back in the lead at 51-49 thanks to a two-point jumper by Kelly.
Hadaway remained on fire in the second half, making back-to-back threes to push Ohio even further out in front. After making four-straight buckets, the Bobcats' lead was 60-53, and Buffalo was forced to take a timeout.
The early offensive outburst didn't slow down for Ohio. Kelly scored seven straight points, including two emphatic dunks and an impressive and-one play under the basket to give the Bobcats a 12-point lead.
Kelly would only start what would be another impressive scoring run for the Bobcats. Over the course of nearly three minutes, Ohio had gone on a 10-0 run, the longest of the game. After trailing by three at halftime, the Bobcats led by 17 points midway through the second half.
After building a big lead, it was the Bobcat defense that kept the team in the game. 10 forced second-half turnovers would largely help make it a dominant half for Ohio.
In the half's final 10 minutes, the Bobcats continued to score consistently while playing great defense. Free-throw shooting was particularly strong for Ohio to keep the lead as they made 13 of 15 in the second half to secure the victory.
A big second half would lead to a commanding 91-80 win by the Bobcats in front of their home fans.
Next up, the Bobcats will be on the road to take on Toledo this Tuesday, Jan. 13. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
Western Michigan 79, Eastern Michigan 62
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Trailing by six at halftime, the Western Michigan men's basketball team outscored Eastern Michigan 49-26 after the intermission to earn a 79-62 comeback victory on Saturday afternoon at University Arena.
Jalen Griffith filled up the stats sheet for the Broncos (7-9, 1-3 MAC), netting a team-high 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jayden Brewer approached a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Carson Vis tied his career high with 11 points off of the bench. Max Burton nearly recorded a double-double as well, posting nine points and eight rebounds for the Brown and Gold.
Western Michigan grabbed the early advantage, and netted five straight points to boost its lead to 20-12 at the 12:34 mark of the first half. Eastern Michigan (8-9, 2-3) countered with the next 12 points to move ahead for the first time, 24-20, just past the halfway mark of the period. The Eagles stayed in front for the remainder of the half and took a 36-30 edge into the locker room.
With EMU still in front, 43-37, the Broncos tallied seven consecutive points to wrestle the lead away, 44-43. Western Michigan then broke a 49-49 deadlock with back-to-back three-pointers by Griffith and Vis with 10 minutes remaining.
Eastern Michigan answered, bringing the contest level at 56-56 at the 8:15 mark. The Brown and Gold responded with a 19-2 surge to break away from the Eagles and grab their largest lead of the afternoon, 75-58, with under two minutes remaining. During the run, WMU held the visitors without a field goal for nearly seven minutes.
Western Michigan shot 51.0 percent (26-of-51) for the afternoon, including 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from three-point range. In the second half alone, the Broncos were 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) from the floor and hit 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) from downtown. Eastern Michigan connected on 44.6 percent (25-of-56) of its field goal attempts, and was held to just 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from beyond the arc. WMU was plus-14 on the glass, outdueling the Eagles on the boards 39-25.
The Broncos continue their homestand on Tuesday evening as they welcome UMass to University Arena for a 7 pm tip. For tickets to any WMU men's basketball home game, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets.
