Tuesday's Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 87, Ball State 77
Eastern Michigan 77, Northern Illinois 59
Kent State 87, Buffalo 81
UMass 85, Western Michigan 82
Miami 100, Central Michigan 61
Toledo 101, Ohio 85
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 87, Ball State 77
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio -The Akron men's basketball won its 25th consecutive home game with an 87-77 victory over the Ball State Cardinals on Tuesday.
Akron holds the second-longest home winning streak, with St. Thomas leading the way with 27 straight home wins.
The Zips (13-4, 4-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Tavari Johnson, who had 22 points and seven assists. Amani Lyles tacked on a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Shammah Scott chipped in with 18 points off the bench, while Evan Mahaffey scored 10 points and added five assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block.
Akron did a great job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 16 assists while turning the ball over eight times. Johnson's seven assists paced the Zips. Evan Mahaffey also contributed with five assists of his own.
Johnson recorded his 10th 20+ point performance of the season along with his 11th game of the season recording 5+ assists. He also now ranks 44th in all-time scoring at Akron with 1,070 points in his career.
Akron started out the scoring by going on an 8-0 run, culminating in a three from Sharron Young, to take an early lead with 17:28 left in the first half. The Zips then entered halftime with a 43-34 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down nine shots to account for 27 of its 43 points.
Following the intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 47-35 before going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead to 53-35 with 16:42 to go in the contest. The Cardinals narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 87-77 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 13 of its 44 total points.
Akron stays at the JAR, as it welcomes Western Michigan on Saturday, January 17, for a 2 p.m. start.
Eastern Michigan 77, Northern Illinois 59
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team topped Northern Illinois University, 77-59, Tuesday, Jan. 13, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center after EMU outscored NIU, 49-33, in the second half to earn its third Mid-American Conference win of the season.
Eastern got numerous standout performances, highlighted by a career-high 13 points from Gregory Lawson II (Saginaw, Mich./Oak Cliff Academy) in 14 minutes.
Addison Patterson (Mississauga, Ontario/Bella Vista College Prep/Northwestern State) netted 20 points to go with five rebounds while Mohammad Habhab (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn/Central Michigan) produced 15 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks.
Godslove Nwabude (Anambra State, Nigeria/Mt. Zion Prep (Md.)) added eight points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in a game that NIU led for more than 17 minutes, despite the 18-point win for EMU.
Eastern started slowly as NIU scored the first five points. The Eagles quickly responded with a 6-0 spurt.
The teams traded leads throughout the first half before NIU built an advantage as large as 26-21.
Eastern closed the half by scoring the final seven points of the period to lead, 28-26, at halftime.
After NIU netted the first five points of the second half, EMU launched a 15-3 run to take a commanding 43-34 lead.
The Huskies cut Eastern's lead to 43-41, the Eagles used a 13-3 run to boost their advantage to 56-44 with 6:52 left.
Eastern continued to apply pressure in the closing minutes as Patterson netted 10 points in the final 3:51 as Mehki Ellison (Flint, Mich./Carman Ainsworth/Stetson) scored the game's final points, giving EMU its largest lead of the game at 77-59.
Eastern travels to Bowling Green State University for a Saturday game, Jan. 17, at 1 p.m. The game is on ESPN+ and will be held in Bowling Green, Ohio, inside the Stroh Center.
Kent State 87, Buffalo 81
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Kent State Men's Basketball (13-4, 4-1 MAC) outlasted the Bulls of the University at Buffalo on Tuesday night by a final score of 87 to 81. Kent State was just one point shy of four double-doubles in the contest having posted three. Rob Whaley Jr. tallied his first in a Kent State uniform.
Points were at a premium in the early minutes as Kent State gained a 12-9 lead in the opening six minutes. Morgan Safford and Rayvon Griffith took advantage of their minutes in the first half at both ends of the floor. The Flashes held the Bulls to nine points for almost five minutes before another exchange of blows that saw the Blue and Gold lead 22-16 with under eight minutes to play in frame one. Delrecco Gillespie pushed it to 24 points followed by a trio of threes that included Safford, Quinn Woidke, and Rob Whaley Jr. Kent State kept their cushion around 10 points with Griffth throwing down a one-handed dunk as the Flashes took a 44-30 lead into the break. UB's Daniel Frietag began to heat up in the second half keeping Buffalo in the game. The Bulls were able to close the gap to six points (68-62) with under eight to play in the game. As the clock winded down the first cousins Recco and Rob made plays on both end of the floor to keep Kent State ahead. Safford and Cian Medley combined for seven points in the final 1:22 to keep Kent State out in front leading to an 87-81 win.
With the victory, Kent State extended their winning streak over Buffalo to seven straight games. Delrecco Gillespie continues to lead the nation in double-doubles posting his 14th of the season with 20 points and 15 rebounds. His cousin Whaley Jr. tallied his Kent State career first with 16 points and 10 points. Medley joined his teammates on the scoresheet with a double-double of his own dishing out 12 assists while scoring 15 points. It marked his third of the season and fourth in his career. Morgan Safford tallied a season high 10 rebounds with nine points, while Quinn Woidke tallied double-digit performance number eight.
Kent State Men's Basketball returns home to the M.A.C. Center this Friday night, Jan. 16. The Flashes host the University of Toledo Rockets at 6:30 PM in their first national televised game of the season.
UMass 85, Western Michigan 82
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – After the lead changed 14 times in the first, University of Massachusetts men's basketball never trailed coming out of halftime in an 85-82 victory at Western Michigan on Tuesday evening.
Marcus Banks Jr., led the Minutemen with 22 points on 8-for-18 shooting from the field, 5-for-12 from three, while graduate student Leonardo Bettiol followed with 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting, aided by a 7-for-7 night at the free throw line. Bettiol also corralled eight rebounds, a game high.
K'Jei Parker also reached double figures, scoring 20 on 6-for-11 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Danny Carbuccia tallied a game-high nine assists on the night and added three steals.
For Western Michgian, Justice Williams put up a game-best 29 points, with EJ Ryans and Brady Swartz following behind with12 points each. Williams and Swartz had five rebounds apiece, as Declan Peterson led with six. Sharod Barnes had a team-high four assists for the Broncos.
Danny Carbuccia, Leonardo Bettiol, Marcus Banks Jr., Daniel Hankins-Sanford and Jayden Ndjigue started for the Minutemen.
A foul by Western Michigan with no time on the clock sent Banks Jr., to the line as he made one-of-two to help the Minutemen hold on to an 85-82 victory.
Parker hit his pair of free throws to extend UMass' lead to 84-80, but a layup from Western Michigan brought the game back within two.
Massachusetts held a two-point lead at 82-80 as Swartz of Western Michigan drove to the basket.
Bettiol knocked down his two shots from the charity stripe with 23 seconds in the half to lead 82-78.
The Broncos made it a two-point game after hitting two free throws with 44 seconds left in the contest.
A layup from Bettiol at the 1:25 mark kept the Minutemen ahead, 80-76.
At 2:48, Damjanac made a pair of free throws to extend UMass' lead to 78-74.
Western Michigan was sent to the line at 3:11, as Brady Swartz hit both shots to trail UMass, 76-74.
Bettiol hit a pair of free throws, before adding five more points to put Massachusetts ahead by four, 76-72, at the 3:38 mark.
Western Michigan came back within two with a pair of triples from EJ Ryans with 6:39 remaining.
UMass maintained the lead, 66-58, at 7:31 of the second with a Dwayne Wimbley Jr., layup.
Western Michigan closed the gap to four at 60-56 with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws made at the 9:27 mark.
A free throw from Hankins-Sanford and a layup by Damjanac pushed UMass ahead 60-51 with 10:51 left in the second.
The Broncos knocked down four straight three-pointers to make it a 57-49 contest at the 12:44 mark.
Banks Jr., made it a 53-37 game with a stepback three-point jumper at 14:39.
Isaiah Placide knocked down a triple to provide Massachusetts with a 15-point lead, 50-35, at the 15:25 mark.
UMass opened the second half with an 11-0 run at 16:23, with Banks Jr., scoring 10 of the Minutemen's points.
The two teams traded points, as Dwayne Wimbley Jr., slammed a dunk on the fast break with five seconds left, ending the first half with a Minutemen lead of 36-35.
In a back-and-forth half, Parker made his fourth three-pointer in response to Justice Williams' three of Western Michigan, to put Massachusetts ahead, 34-33.
After Western Michigan took a brief 30-29 lead, Parker got sent to the charity stripe to put UMass back in the lead at 31-30 with 2:35 remaining in the half.
At 4:16, Luka Damjanac tipped in a second-chance layup to pull UMass ahead by three, 29-26.
Bettiol answered with six-straight points, which included a layup and a jumper, to regain the lead for the Minutemen, 27-24, with 5:52 left.
Another 6-0 run for the Broncos gave them the 24-21 lead at 7:50 of the first.
Parker hit his third three-pointer of the first half to log his 11th point to give UMass a 21-18 lead at the 11:11 mark.
A pair of free throws for Western Michigan tied the game at 18-18 with 11:43 left in the first half.
With the Broncos leading 14-10, K'Jei Parker scored eight straight points, including back-to-back threes to reclaim the lead at 18-16 at 12:06.
The Broncos made a three-pointer to take a 9-7 lead, but Banks Jr., responded with a triple of his own to give Massachusetts a one-point lead at 15:06.
Western Michigan took a 6-3 lead a with a quick 6-0 run at the 16:51 mark.
Banks Jr., knocked down a three-pointer 40 seconds into the game to give UMass a 3-0 lead.
The Minutemen continue on the road with a 3 p.m., contest at Northern Illinois on Saturday, January 17, in DeKalb, Illinois.
Miami 100, Central Michigan 61
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University men's basketball team (18-0, 6-0 MAC) rolled past Central Michigan (5-13, 1-5 MAC) for a 100-61 win at Millett Hall on Tuesday night. Brant Byers scored the most points of the game with 24 total, while Justin Kirby (17), Luke Skaljac (13), Peter Suder (11) and Antwone Woolfolk (10) added double figures. Nathan Claerbaut led the Chippewas with 16 points.
A pair of interior buckets from Woolfolk and a triple from the top of the three-point line from Skaljac gave Miami an early 7-3 advantage. The Chippewas fought back and claimed their first lead of the game at 8-7 before a pair of free throws and a triple from Byers pushed Miami back ahead 12-8. Almar Atlason went on to bank in a shot from the lower block after being fouled to record a traditional three-point play for the Red and White. Shortly after, Byers scored two consecutive triples to put the score at 24-15 with 9:59 to go until the intermission.
Skaljac and Kirby each recorded a three on back-to-back possessions to stretch the score to 33-19. Kirby went on to knock down his second corner three and also got fouled from beyond the arc during another offensive possession to make it a 39-25 ball game. Skaljac found Woolfolk flying down the lane for a two-hand dunk that brought the crowd to their feet at 43-27 with just under two minutes before the break. A deep shot from Suder and three free throws from Byers sent the RedHawks into halftime in front of the Chippewas 49-35.
A Byers layup, as well as a pair of jumpers from Suder and Skaljac, helped Miami retain a double-digit lead at 55-39 coming out of the intermission. Skaljac found Atlason sneaking behind the defense for a dunk to take a 20-point lead at 61-41. Skaljac put in his third three of the game, and Byers put in a layup plus the foul at 67-43. Atlason joined in on the hot shooting from downtown, as he sank a shot from the right wing to give the Red and White a 28-point advantage at 73-45.
After entering the game with 8:28 to go, Tyler Robbins recorded a tip-in shot at 79-53. Kirby splashed his third three of the game to secure over a 30-point lead against the visitors at 88-57. The RedHawks did not look back, as they finished off Central Michigan for a 100-61 victory.
Miami hosts the Buffalo Bulls at Millett Hall on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
Toledo 101, Ohio 85
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's basketball team put on an offensive show on Tuesday night in Savage Arena, shooting a blistering 61.9% from the field en route to a 101-85 victory over Ohio. The Rockets (10-7, 4-1 MAC) moved into a second-place tie in the Mid-American Conference with the victory that snapped the Bobcats' five-game winning streak. Toledo also extended its winning streak to 10 in a row over Ohio (10-8, 4-2 MAC)
Junior Sonny Wilson and freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. topped UT offensively with 25 and 24 points, respectively. Senior Sean Craig (15 pts., 11 reb.) and junior Austin Parks (13 pts., 5 reb.) controlled the paint and helped the Rockets register a 34-26 advantage on the boards.
Toledo fell behind early, 22-9, less than six minutes into the game before rallying to take a 52-50 halftime lead. Blyden keyed the Rockets' comeback by scoring seven straight points to close out the half.
Wilson ignited the Rockets in the second half with two quick baskets and hitting a three-pointer that gave UT a double-digit lead, 65-54, at the 17:08 mark. Toledo's lead didn't drop below 11 the rest of the evening.
Ohio was led by redshirt junior Javan Simmons (21 pts.) and senior Jackson Paveletzke (20 pts.).
Toledo will look to keep its momentum going when it travels to Kent State (13-4, 4-1 MAC) on Friday, Jan. 16. The Rockets' matchup vs. the Golden Flashes will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network and will tip off at 6:30 p.m.
