Tuesday’s Men’s Basketball Results
No. 25 Miami 107, Kent State 101 (OT)
Akron 82, Buffalo 63
Ball State 68, Central Michigan 67
Bowling Green 72, Western Michigan 54
UMass 84, Toledo 82
Ohio 80, Northern Illinois 77
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
No. 25 Miami 107, Kent State 101 (OT)
Box Score
KENT, Ohio – The Miami University men's basketball team (20-0, 8-0 MAC) outlasted Kent State (14-5, 5-2 MAC) in a 107-101 overtime victory Tuesday night. A layup by Luke Skaljac with six seconds remaining in the second half forced overtime for the Red and White. Peter Suder led the RedHawks with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Eian Elmer followed closely behind in points with 25. Skaljac (18), Brant Byers (11) and Antwone Woolfolk (10) added double digits for Miami. Rob Whaley Jr. led the Golden Flashes with a season-high 27 points and Cian Medley added a season-high 23 points of his own as well. With this win, the RedHawks have now secured the best start for a program in MAC history at 20-0.
The RedHawks got off to a 9-0 start thanks to a triple and layup from Elmer. The Golden Flashes closed within four points at 11-7 before Atlson buried a three and Elmer attacked the basket for a layup plus the foul to take a 10-point advantage at 17-7. Kent State began to close back in on the RedHawk lead once again, but Byers stole the ball and Elmer eventually knocked down his second three of the game at 25-15 with 10:32 on the game clock.
A layup, free throws and a jumper from Suder kept the RedHawks on top at 35-24 with 6:26 remaining before halftime. Skaljac put in a shot from behind the arc and a step-back jumper to make it a 42-30 ballgame and help the RedHawks fend off Kent State. A deep shot from Justin Kirby and a Suder shot at the rim sent Miami into the break with a lead of 48-34.
Skaljac opened the second half with a pull-up jump shot and a layup that he was fouled on at 52-39. The Golden Flashes began to fight back, but Skaljac found Woolfolk from the right corner of the three-point line to keep the visitors in control at 59-52. The Golden Flashes found a way to even the score at 59 apiece and eventually took their first lead of the game at 67-66. Elmer answered with a layup and a jump shot on back-to-back possessions to hold the edge over Kent State at 70-69 with 8:10 to play.
Kent State began to pull away at 77-72, but a Suder drive to the basket, as well as a pair of threes from Elmer and Byers, helped the RedHawks regain the advantage at 80-79. The Golden Flashes once again looked to close out the game, going back on top 87-82. Numerous free throws and two Suder shots at the basket kept Miami within striking distance at 92-90. The Red and White forced a turnover on a Kent State inbounds pass with 11 seconds on the scoreboard, where Skaljac then made a tough layup through contact with six seconds remaining to knot things up at 92-92 and ultimately force overtime.
Miami went on a 6-0 run to start the extra period behind a shot from deep by Skaljac to make the score 98-92. The Golden Flashes didn't give in, coming within one at 100-99. After a miss from Kent State, Suder found Elmer running down the floor for a dunk to extend the Miami lead to 104-99. The Golden Flashes came no closer, as Miami finished off the hosts for a 107-101 victory.
This is the third game in a row that Miami has scored 100 or more points against a conference opponent (previously hadn't been done since Jan. 5, 2002 in a 100-94 double overtime victory at Central Michigan).
This is the seventh time the RedHawks have scored 100 or more points this season. The Red and White shot 50% (38-of-70) or better from the field for the 16th time this season.
This is the second consecutive game that Miami has taken down an opponent that scored 100 or more points (previously hadn't been done since a 110-102 victory against Evansville on Dec. 9, 1987).
Miami is 8-0 to start conference play for the first time since the 1994-95 season. The RedHawks have tied the program record for most consecutive road wins in a season (8-0).
Miami has secured a new program record for most consecutive road wins overall (9-0). Miami committed only six turnovers (sixth time this season the RedHawks have recorded under 10 turnovers in a game) and forced 16 turnovers by the Golden Flashes.
The Red and White scored 48 points in the paint and totaled 24 points off turnovers.
Miami returns home to face off with UMass on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 9 p.m. This game has been selected for a national telecast on ESPNU.
Akron 82, Buffalo 63
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY - Amani Lyles and Tavari Johnson recorded career highs in rebounds in an 82-63 win over the Buffalo Bulls Tuesday night.
The Zips (15-4, 6-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Amani Lyles, who put together a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Tavari Johnson added 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, Evan Mahaffey chipped in with 11 points while Eric Mahaffey added 10 points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block.
Akron has recorded wins over Buffalo in 10 straight contests. Akron utilized great ball movement in Tuesday's game, piling up 21 assists on 27 made field goals. Johnson's six assists led the distribution list for the Zips while Shammah Scott also added five assists of his own. The Zips have recorded 20 or more assists in 10 games this season and hold a 10-0 recorded when hitting that mark.
Akron's defense held Buffalo to only 35.4 percent shooting from the field, including 25 percent from beyond the arc.
After jumping out to a 6-2 advantage, Akron went on a 13-0 run with 15:18 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Eric Mahaffey, to increase its lead to 19-2. The Zips then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 43-27 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down 10 shots to account for 30 of its 43 points.
Akron kept its lead intact before going on an 11-0 run, finished off by Evan Mahaffey's layup, to grow the lead to 56-30 with 16:27 to go in the contest. The Bulls narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 82-63 win. Akron got out on the break in the period, scoring 11 fast break points.
Akron stays on the road as it travels to Athens, Ohio, to battle the Ohio Bobcats on ESPNU for an 8 p.m. start.
Ball State 68, Central Michigan 67
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Davion Hill drove to the basket for the game-winning and-one in the closing seconds of the Ball State men's basketball team's 68-67 win over Central Michigan on Tuesday night at McGuirk Arena.
Tied at 65-65 following a 3-pointer from Central's Logan McIntire with just over a minute to play, Hill headed to the middle of the lane and finished through contact to regain the lead for Ball State with 16 seconds to go. After Hill drained the foul shot for the three-point lead, Tamario Adley hit a pair of free throws for the Chippewas, and the Cardinals survived a series of inbound passes where they were fouled, including the final one which resulted in a scramble and the game clock running out.
Guards Devon Barnes and Armoni Zeigler paced the Cardinals with 17 points each, while Hill joined them in double figures with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Barnes made four 3-pointers in the second half, and Zeigler added seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal on the night.
Ball State (6-13, 2-5 Mid-American Conference) held CMU (5-14, 1-6 MAC) scoreless over a near eight-minute stretch in the late stages of the opening period to help build a 33-20 lead going into the break. Zeigler tallied seven points during a 15-0 scoring run for the Cardinals that spanned from the 8:18 to the 1:02 mark of the first half.
Elmore James IV made a layup with 17:48 to play that gave the Cardinals a 39-24 advantage, but the host Chippewas steadily cut the deficit down before tying it in the game's closing seconds. Zeigler and Hill made layups sandwiched around a triple from Barnes in the final three minutes of the contest for Ball State to help stave off the CMU comeback attempt.
Preston Copeland went for six points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field for the Cardinals while Kayden Fish (four points, four rebounds) and James IV (four points, three rebounds) made a pair of baskets each. Cam Denson added three points and five rebounds, and Mason Jones hit a floater in the lane with under five minutes to go that gave the visitors a 58-52 lead.
Central Michigan collected more rebounds (34-32) but turned the ball over seven more times (12-5). Ball State capitalized on that for a 17-2 edge in points off turnovers and also held advantages in points in the paint (36-24) and bench points (22-5). The five turnovers were the fewest the Cardinals have committed this season.
McIntire paced the Chippewas with 21 points, and Adley followed with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Ball State went 41.9 percent (26-62) from the field including 32 percent (8-25) on 3-pointers and made 72.7 percent (8-11) of its free throw attempts. Central Michigan shot 48.1 percent (25-52) on field goals, 63.2 percent (12-19) from distance and 50 percent (5-10) at the foul line.
The Cardinals will look to build on the two-game winning streak, as they next host Northern Illinois at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Bowling Green 72, Western Michigan 54
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team continued their winning ways with a 72-54 road victory Tuesday night (Jan. 20) over the Western Michigan Broncos in Kalamazoo. The Falcons were sparked offensively by 20-point games from both Sam Towns and Javontae Campbell, but it was the defense that played the biggest role. The Falcons managed to create 15 turnovers on the defensive end while holding Western Michigan to 32.1-percent from the field and 23.1-percent from three. The win moves the Falcons to 13-6 on the season while being 4-3 within the MAC.
The Falcons won the tip, but Western Michigan tallied the first points. Javontae Campbell later answered with a jumper to put BGSU on the board. The back-and-forth continued with the Falcons adding a Sam Towns dunk in transition. Another Towns transition basket, with a foul, made it 7-6 WMU at the first media break. He converted to tie it at 7-7.
WMU reclaimed the lead with one at the line, but a massive one-hand slam by Troy Glover II put BGSU back in front, sparking a 10-0 run. Josiah Shackelford hit a transition jumper followed by an and-one from Campbell and then a corner three for a 17-8 lead and a WMU timeout. The Broncos added two before the under-12 media break for a 17-10 score.
Out of the break, Shackelford knocked down a three for a 13-2 run that spanned over six minutes of game action before the next WMU basket. Shackelford added two at the line for a 22-12 score at the under-8 media timeout.
After the timeout, WMU worked for the next three points across two possessions, but a Glover hook shot resumed the BGSU scoring. The Broncos continued to chip away, cutting the score to 24-23 with an 8-0 run to force a timeout from the Bowling Green bench that doubled as the under-4 timeout.
The Falcons ended the run out of the timeout with Shackelford converting one at the line. Glover followed with points in the paint to spark a run with a transition layup from Campbell continuing it. A block from Glover turned into a transition look for Towns, drawing a foul and making one. Campbell closed out the half in the final seconds with a driving layup, resulting in an 8-0 BGSU run and 32-23 lead going into halftime.
WMU tallied the first points of the second half, but Campbell answered with two at the line. A Campbell steal turned into a Glover layup before a Wol dunk made it a 6-0 run for the Falcons to force a WMU timeout with the score at 38-25 after a 14-2 run across the half. The same score carried to the under-16 media timeout of the half.
After the timeout, Towns sank a pair of the line to push the run to 8-0 and 16-2 across the half before the next WMU basket. Wol got a floater to fall before a Towns dunk. WMU added two, but a free throw from Glover and two from Shackelford extended the BGSU lead. Western Michigan closed the gap with a 5-0 burst for a 47-34 score at the under-12 break.
Towns restarted the scoring with points in the paint for BGSU after two Bronco free throws. WMU made a three, but Towns followed with another two in the paint. Campbell added one at the line with Towns later sinking two. An and-one from Towns kept it going for the Orange and Brown with a three from Campbell pushing the lead to 60-43 at the under-8 break.
Coming out of the timeout, Towns made two at the line, pushing him past 20 points for the game. A corner three from Javon Ruffin kept it going, building an 8-0 run. The run reached 10-0 with a driving layup from Wol, forcing a timeout from WMU that counted as the under-4 media timeout with the Falcons leading 67-43.
Western Michigan ended the run out of the break, but a Campbell layup put the Falcons back in the scoring column. Shackelford later added a three for the eventual 72-54 final in favor of the Falcons.
Bowling Green will stay on the road for their next game, albeit a shorter road trip. The Falcons will head north for the first leg in the Battle of I-75, taking on the rival Rockets Saturday (Jan. 24) with a 5 p.m. tip. BGSU will return home on Tuesday (Jan. 27) with a 7 p.m. start against Buffalo inside the Stroh Center.
UMass 84, Toledo 82
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. -- The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team (12-8, 3-5 MAC) defeated Toledo (10-9, 4-3 MAC), 84-82, on Tuesday night at the Mullins Center.
Graduate student Leonardo Bettiol led the Minutemen with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Junior Jayden Ndjigue and senior Daniel Hankins-Sanford both collected double-doubles on the night. Both recorded 12 points against the Rockets, with Ndjigue grabbing 10 rebounds and Hankins-Sanford coming down with 11.
Marcus Banks Jr., added 15 points, three rebounds and a steal, as Danny Carbuccia led with a team-high nine assists.
For Toledo, Leroy Blyden Jr. put up 22 points and went 6-for-6 on the free throw line for the Rockets. Sonny Wilson (16), Austin Parks (14), Kyler Vanderjagt (12) and Sean Craig (12) all reached double figures.
Danny Carbuccia, Marcus Banks Jr., Jayden Ndjigue, Leonardo Bettiol, and Daniel Hankins-Sanford started the contest for the Minutemen. The two teams traded a pair of layups early to make it a 6-6 game at the 17:26 mark.
Hankins-Sanford hit a turnaround jumper to give Massachusetts a slight 8-6 lead at 17:13. Toledo's Sonny Wilson was sent to the free throw line, making one-of-two to make it a one-point game, 8-7.
A three-pointer from Banks Jr., at 16:42 pushed UMass ahead, 11-7. After Carbuccia's missed shot, Bettiol collected it at the basket and put it away with a layup at 14:49 to make it a 13-9 lead.
Ndjigue made a second chance free throw at 13:33, but a jumper by Toledo cut the Minutemen's lead to three, 14-11. Parkers shot beyond the arc to push Massachusetts to a six-point lead, 17-11, with 9:39 in the half.
Toledo went on a 6-0 run, tying with the Minutemen at 20-20 at the 8:15 mark. The Rockets took the lead, 24-20, at 7:04 with back-to-back buckets from Kyler Vanderjagt.
Parker responded with another triple for UMass, closing the gap to 27-26 with 6:09 left in the half. Bettiol was sent to the charity stripe, knocking down both shots to bring the game to a 28-28 tie at 5:20.
Bettiol tied the game, 30-30, with 2:09 remaining in the first half with a layup. With Toledo leading 32-30, Ndjigue made a shot from beyond the arc with 52 seconds left to reclaim the lead at 33-32.
Massachusetts pulled ahead, 35-32, at the 30 second mark with another Bettiol layup. Entering halftime, Toledo's Vanderjagt made a stepback jumper at the buzzer, as UMass held on toa 35-34 lead.
Massachusetts added to its lead to start the second, putting up an eight point run, 43-38, that was capped by a Hankins-Sanford dunk at the 17:23 mark. A bad pass by Toledo led to a Carbuccia steal and driving layup on the fast break to give the Minutemen a 45-40 lead at 15:45.
A pair of free throws and a hookshot jumper gave UMass a seven-point lead, 49-42 with 13:58 in the second. Another steal and driving layup for Carbuccia put the lead up to 51-46 at the 12:39 mark.
Five straight points for the Rockets brought the game to a 51-51 tie with 11:32 remaining. Massachusetts and Toledo traded three-pointers as the Minutemen held on to 58-54 lead at 9:56.
Marcus Banks Jr., knocked down all three shots at the free throw line, putting Massachusetts ahead 61-56, with 9:30 left. Toledo made a triple to cut UMass' lead to two, but a Luke Damjanac layup extended the Minutemen, 63-59 with 8:47 on the clock. At the free throw line, the Rockets tied the game up, 63-63, with 8:25 left.
Toledo claimed the lead, 67-65, with back-to-back pairs of free throws at the 6:24 mark. Isaiah Placide knocked down his second triple of the night to put UMass back on top, 68-67, with 5:53 remaining.
A flagrant one foul on Toledo's Sean Craig sent Hankins-Sanford to the charity stripe, hitting both shots to lead 72-69 at the 3:58 mark. The Minutemen took a five-point lead, 74-69, with a Banks Jr., jumper at 3:31.
After a Toledo three, Parker hit one of his own from the three-point arc at 1:21 of the game to push UMass ahead, 79-75.
Down the stretch, key free throws from Ndjigue and Banks Jr., gave Massachusetts an 83-79 lead with 26 seconds left on the clock. Toledo put away a bucket with three seconds left to close the gap to two, 83-81.
Parker made one-of-two free throws to give UMass the 84-81 lead.
With one second on the clock, Toledo headed to the free throw line, as Vanderjagt only made one of his shots. Time expired as Massachusetts held on to the 84-72 victory.
The Minutemen go on the road to play Buffalo at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23.
Ohio 80, Northern Illinois 77
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – After a week on the road, the Ohio Men's Basketball team (11-9, 5-3 Mid-American Conference) returned to the Convocation Center Tuesday night (Jan. 20) for a Mid-American Conference matchup with Northern Illinois (6-12, 2-5 MAC). After a missed game-tying three-point attempt from Northern Illinois and four double-digit scorers for Ohio, the Bobcats came out on top 80-77.
The Bobcats shot the ball well from three against the Huskies, converting on eight shots. As a team, Ohio shot 50 percent from the field with 27 total field goals. On the glass, the Bobcats grabbed 28 rebounds, including 21 on defense. The team forced 17 turnovers while blocking seven shots.
Ohio was led in scoring by senior guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.), who tallied 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Freshman guard JJ Kelly (Chambersburg, Pa.) had a career night with a career-high 17 points and nine rebounds. Senior forward Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) scored 18 points in the contest while leading the team with six assists.
Kelly got things started for the Bobcats, scoring five points with a block and two rebounds in the first five minutes of the game. The freshman got things going with a corner three before driving to the bucket for a two to give Ohio a 5-4 lead early.
The offense picked up for Ohio with an impressive sequence that started with a Hadaway three to give the Bobcats the lead. A steal then led to a fastbreak layup for Kelly on the ensuing possession before a later three by senior guard Ajay Sheldon (Dublin, Ohio) capped off an 8-0 run and an 18-11 Ohio lead.
The 8-0 run was a catalyst for what was to come down the stretch in the first half for the Bobcats. A steady offensive effort mixed with good defense led to a 30-19 lead for the Bobcats with under five to play in the first.
The Huskies would close the deficit in the final minute of the half with a 7-0 run, which would give Ohio just a 32-30 lead going into the locker room.
The Bobcats started the second half just how they did the first, with a three. Hadaway got open in the corner for a score to get the offense going. With just over 15 minutes to play in the game, the Bobcats and the Huskies were tied at 39.
Neither team was able to pull away early in the second half, with both picking up the scoring. Kelly continued his career day, eclipsing his career high with 12 minutes still to play and giving the Bobcats a 52-48 lead.
Ohio was the team that found a way to build a lead midway through the second half, thanks to a 12-1 run highlighted by three three-point jumpers from senior guard Dior Conners (Columbus, Ohio), resulting in a 66-53 lead.
The Bobcats maintained their lead down the stretch, with good shooting from several different players on the court. Paveletzke facilitated an efficient offense, recording 19 points and two assists in the second half.
Northern Illinois would bring the game down to the final shot but was ultimately unable to convert, as Ohio took the win 80-77.
Up next, the Bobcats will return to the Convocation Center for a matchup with Akron this Friday, Jan. 23. That matchup will tip-off at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPNU.
