Friday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 86, Ohio 65
UMass 68, Buffalo 67
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 86, Ohio 65
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - The Akron men's basketball team took down the Ohio Bobcats, 86-65, on ESPNU at the Ohio Convocation Center Friday night to cap off a 2-0 week.
Akron avenged its 84-67 loss to the Bobcats at the Convocation Center last season, which was also featured on the ESPN network.
The Zips (16-4, 7-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Tavari Johnson, who had 24 points and two blocks. Shammah Scott added 19 points off the bench and Amani Lyles helped out with his fifth double-double of the season after recording 13 points and 11 rebounds. Sharron Young added 11 points to the Zips victory. Akron has seen four or more players score in double figures in 16 games this season.
Led by Evan Mahaffey's three offensive rebounds, Akron did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 11 boards that resulted in nine second chance points.
The Akron defense held Ohio shooters to only 32.8 percent from the field, including 23.5 percent from three-point range.
After jumping out to a 25-18 advantage, Akron went on a 16-0 run with 7:37 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Scott, to increase its lead to 41-18. The Zips then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 48-26 advantage. Akron capitalized on seven Ohio turnovers in the period, turning them into 12 points on the other end of the floor.
Akron kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Scott's three, to grow the lead to 82-61 with 3:07 to go in the contest. The Zips held onto that lead for the rest of the game for the 86-65 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 16 of its 38 total points.
Akron returns to James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday, January 27, for a 7 p.m. start.
UMass 68, Buffalo 67
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team came up with several clutch possessions down the stretch to edge Buffalo 68-67 on Friday night at Alumni Arena (2,310).
Graduate student Marcus Banks Jr., scored a team-leading 19 points for the Minutemen (13-8, 4-5 MAC), knocking down four three-pointers on the night. Leonardo Bettiol followed with 16 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford registered his eighth double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 10 boards, as the senior forward went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Bettiol also tallied seven rebounds, as Danny Carbuccia dished out six assists.
For Buffalo (13-7, 3-5 MAC), Ryan Sabol put up a game-best 27 points, with Daniel Freitag contributing 18 points and Noah Batchelor scoring 16 points. Mikhail Pocknett had six boards, as Freitag had seven assists.
The Minutemen have now won four of their last five games and will play at 25th-ranked Miami (Ohio) next Tuesday night.
Danny Carbuccia, Marcus Banks Jr., Jayden Ndjigue, Leonardo Bettiol, and Daniel Hankins-Sanford started the contest for the Minutemen.
Bettiol scored the first two baskets for UMass, Carbuccia grabbed a steal and a layup and then Banks Jr., added a three at 16:47 for a 9-5 lead.
The Minutemen were outrebounding Buffalo 7-1 in the early going, including a 4-0 edge on the offensive glass.
Ndjigue had a tough finish in the paint against contact, giving UMass a 17-11 lead at the 14:00 minute mark.
A Dwayne Wimbley Jr. three pushed the lead to 22-11 at 12:06.
Banks Jr., nailed a three at 8:53 to cap what turned out to be a 15-0 run, moving the lead to 30-11.
The Bulls fought back to make it a 35-20 game at the 4:00 minute mark. Banks Jr. hit a jumper with 35 seconds left in the half, but Buffalo's Ryan Sabol made a three on the other end to cut the UMass lead to 38-29 at the half.
A Ndjigue block led to a Banks Jr. layup and a 43-32 lead at 18:28 of the second half. Banks Jr. hit his fourth three of the game for a 50-38 lead at 13:12.
Sabol hit back-to-back buckets for Buffalo to move it to 50-43 in favor of the Minutemen at 11:34.
Buffalo cut it to 54-51 at 9:07 and then Sabol made two free throws at 8:22 to make it a one-point game, 54-53. The Bulls then hit a three for their first lead of the night, 56-54, at 7:43.
Bettiol converted a layup to stop the Bulls' run but UMass trailed 61-56 with 4:30 to play. Hankins-Sanford and Sabol traded threes, with Buffalo remaining in front 63-59 with 3:40 to play.
Ndjigue tied it 63-63 at the 2:17 mark. Hankins-Sanford was sent to the line, tying the game at 65-65 with 1:32 remaining. Bettiol's layup made it 67-67 with one minute left and hit a free throw to take the lead back 68-67.
Buffalo received the ball with 10 seconds left on the clock, but missed a jumper as UMass picked up the defensive rebound with time expiring to hold on to the 68-67 victory.
The Minutemen will play on the road for the fourth time in a five-game stretch, traveling to face 25th-ranked Miami (Ohio) at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
