Bowling Green hosts Cleveland State for its home-opener on Nov. 9. Tip off inside the Stroh Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will also air on ESPN+.

Central Michigan 83, Louisiana Monroe 78
Box Score
MONROE, La.—Central Michigan scored seven of the game's final nine points and erased a 14-point second half deficit to claim an 83-78 season opening victory over host Louisiana Monroe on Monday night at b1Bank Fant Coliseum. The game was played as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge.

It was a total team effort as Central Michigan placed five scorers in double figures. Phat Phat Brooks (six assists, three 3-pointers) and Conrad Luczynski both led the Chippewas with 14 points apiece. Keenan Garner registered his fourth career double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, Jaxson Whitaker added 11 points and three 3-pointers, Jalen Kampen hit several key shots and finished with a career-high three 3-pointers, nine points, and a career-high eight rebounds, and Jayson Petty scored 10 points off the bench, including a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line.

In the second half, Central Michigan outscored UL Monroe 51-35, shot 58.1 percent (18-31) from the floor, and converted 9-16 from 3-point range. CMU also outrebounded the Warhawks 40-38.

Central Michigan outscored UL Monroe 7-2 over the game's final 3:16. Luczynski's turnaround jumper tied the game at 76-76, then Brooks followed with a 3-pointer to give the Chippewas the lead for good. After ULM's Philip Tillman scored on a layup to make it 79-78, Luczynski answered with a dunk on a pick and roll play with Brooks for an 81-78 lead with 42 seconds left. ULM had two offensive opportunities but couldn't convert and Petty put the game away as he converted two free throws with 10 seconds left.

After trailing by 11 points at halftime, UL Monroe pushed its lead to as many as 14 points early in the second half. But the Chippewas hung around and slowly chipped away at the deficit. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Kampen and Whitaker, coupled with a fast break layup by Brooks trimmed the deficit to one point (63-62) with nine minutes to go. A 9-0 run fueled by three straight 3-pointers by Brooks, Garner, and Kampen tied the game at 71-71 with 5:21 to play. Another Kampen 3-pointer tied the game at 74-74 with 4:14 to go.

Central Michigan head coach Andy Bronkema was most pleased with his team's resilience and ability to overcome adversity.

"What a job by our guys, just sticking with it, and bouncing back from negative plays in a positive way," Bronkema said. "In the first half, we got in a little foul trouble and had some guys playing positions that they haven't had as many reps in," Bronkema said. "The last 2:52, we got loose with the ball, it got deflected, which is their superpower, and they made a run. We just said, 'Don't do that anymore and keep wearing on them.' In a game like that, some guys stepped up and made some huge plays, knocking down big shots, and we made a key run down the stretch. We withstood 16 turnovers, but it was really that one stretch right before halftime that we had to correct. We did, and we just hung in there. The guys really believed."

"We made some huge plays, it was a team win today."

Central Michigan finished the contest with 12 3-pointers. Brooks and Kampen both hit a career-high three 3-pointers and Whitaker finished with three.

"Jalen's been doing it in practice and practice is sacred," Bronkema said. "Guys stepped up and made big plays. Credit to Jalen. We had a few friendly rolls."

After a back-and-forth first half that featured seven ties and six lead changes, UL Monroe outscored Central Michigan 13-2 over the final 3:30 of the first half to take a commanding 43-32 halftime lead. The Chippewas were held without a field goal for the last four minutes of the first half as the Warhawks were led by Quaran McPherson's 14 points and Dayjaun Anderson's 11 points.

Ziyade Ndancky started the 13-2 run with a layup, Philip Tillman contributed a free throw, Lance Carr followed with a dunk, Anderson made a free throw then followed with a step back jumper for a 39-30 lead. After CMU's Petty hit two free throws, Mike White hit two free throws, and McPherson closed the half with a pull up jumper and 11-point halftime lead.

Earlier in the first half, Central Michigan held a six-point lead at the 4:20 mark.

UL Monroe was led by McPherson, who scored a game-high 24 points (4-6 3-pointers). Anderson finished with 19 and Ndancky added 14.

Central Michigan won its second straight season-opener and improves to 5-2 all-time in MAC-SBC Challenge games.

Next up, Central Michigan returns home to play its home opener against Alma on Friday night at McGuirk Arena. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET.

Eastern Michigan 71, Coastal Carolina 70
Box Score
CONWAY, S.C. (EMUEagles.com) – Mohammad Habhab came off the bench to score 34 points and grab 13 rebounds, powering the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team to a 71-70 road victory over Coastal Carolina University, Monday, Nov. 2, inside the HTC Center in Conway, S.C., as part of the Mid-American Conference-Sun Belt Conference Challenge.

Habhab (Dearborn, Mich./Fordson/Central Michigan) delivered one of the most remarkable performances in recent program memory, coming off the bench to score 34 points and grab 13 rebounds in 34 minutes — a double-double that set new EMU Men's Basketball 2026-27 career highs in points and free throws made. The redshirt sophomore attacked the rim relentlessly, going 18-of-21 from the free throw line — tying the record since 2015 for made free throws in a single game, matching Andy Shepard's 18 at Central Michigan on Jan. 6, 1955 — while also shooting 7-of-16 from the field and 2-of-3 from three. Habhab's 34 points surpassed his previous career high of 24, and his 18 made free throws set a new personal best. Head Coach Billy Donlon said "Mohammad Habhab was sensational, played like a player of the year."

Jaiden Martin (Milwaukee, Wisc./Dominican/Parkland CC) made an emphatic EMU debut as a starter, scoring 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting with three three-pointers, two rebounds, one assist and three steals in 34 minutes. Kaden Johnson (Hartford, Mich./Hartford/Huntington) also made his Eagle debut in the starting lineup, contributing eight points on 4-of-9 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and a team-high two blocks in 28 minutes.

The game was a back-and-forth battle from wire to wire, with the lead changing hands 13 times and the score tied 11 different times. Eastern Michigan's bench supplied 39 of the team's 71 points, and the Eagles converted 13 Coastal Carolina turnovers into 13 points while committing only seven of their own.

The season opener was a tightly contested affair from the opening tip. Neither team could establish separation early, with the score tied multiple times in the opening minutes as both sides traded baskets inside the HTC Center.

Coastal Carolina seized the early initiative, using its size advantage to score 18 points in the paint in the first half and collect 12 second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds in the opening period. The Chanticleers pushed their lead to as many as three possessions at points in the first half, but Eastern Michigan answered each time. The Eagles shot 45.8% from the field in the opening half and used the free throw line — going 6-of-11 — to stay within striking distance. Coastal Carolina led 37-34 at the break.

Eastern Michigan came out of the locker room and immediately began chipping away. The Eagles tied the game early in the second half and the two teams continued to trade the lead, with the score knotted 11 times across the full 40 minutes and the lead changing hands 13 times in all.

The free throw line became the decisive battleground in the second half. EMU converted 17-of-18 attempts from the stripe in the final period — compared to just 7-of-11 for Coastal Carolina — building a cushion that the Chanticleers could not overcome despite outrebounding the Eagles 40-32 for the game. Eastern Michigan's field goal shooting dipped to 34.5% in the second half, but the Eagles more than compensated at the charity stripe, where Habhab's 18 made free throws tied the program record set by Andy Shepard at Central Michigan on Jan. 6, 1955.

Ball security proved equally decisive. Eastern Michigan committed only two turnovers in the second half — nine fewer than Coastal Carolina over the same stretch — and converted the Chanticleers' miscues into points on the other end. EMU turned 13 Coastal Carolina turnovers into 13 points for the game.
"That grit and grind that you need to be a great basketball team, we showed it," Donlon said. "I want our team to play like the work ethic of Eastern Michigan University, and we did that tonight."

Martin provided crucial outside shooting throughout the game, knocking down three three-pointers to keep the Chanticleers' defense honest. Johnson anchored the interior defensively with two blocks, while Braelon Green (Southfield, Mich./Southern California Academy/Arizona State/Bowling Green) orchestrated the offense with a team-high four assists.

Jabri Fitzpatrick (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick Township/New Haven) came off the bench to add three steals, tying Martin for the team lead and helping EMU finish with only seven turnovers for the game. Donlon credited Fitzpatrick and Green specifically for addressing a turnover problem the team had been working through. "Jabri Fitzpatrick and Braelon Green, we've been turning the ball over and Jabri Fitzpatrick and Braelon Green were phenomenal," Donlon said.
Eastern Michigan outscored Coastal Carolina 37-33 in the second half. When the final buzzer sounded, the Eagles had secured a 71-70 road victory — one point the difference in a game that was never decided until the end.

UMass 71, Troy 60
Box Score
TROY, Ala. – The UMass men's basketball team staged a 32-1 run bridging the end of the first half and beginning of the second to turn a six-point deficit into a 25-point lead, on the way to a 71-60 win at Troy in the season opener for both sides on Monday evening. Four Minutemen finished with double-figure points, led by 18 points and 13 rebounds from Junjie Wang. Jordan Clayton added 16 points and eight rebounds. 

Noa Zemljic scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in his first-collegiate game while Dwayne Wimbley Jr. added 10. The win came over the two-time defending Sun Belt Champions. 

The Minutemen finished with 10 blocks on the evening, led by a career-high seven from Abdullah Ahmed. Danny Carbuccia dished a game-high eight assists.

UMass jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead, with points by Ahmed, Wang and Dimtri Clerc. Troy responded with a 16-2 run. J. Hutchinson began the run with five straight points, as a Caden Diggs layup gave the Trojans an 18-8 lead with 10:45 left in the first half. 

Zemljic's first-career 3-pointer pulled UMass within 18-11, then Cheick Sylla followed just over a minute later in a sign of things to come for both. Not long after, Zemljic converted a 3-point play then knocked down a corner three to the Minutemen within 24-21 with 6:02 left in the half. 

Troy extended its lead back to 27-21, but the Minutemen responded with a big 15-0 run, with points by five different players. Wang and Sylla both had four points in the rally, as a Sylla layup gave UMass a 36-27 lead with 2:26 on the clock. 

A Wimbley Jr. jumper gave UMass a 38-28 lead with just over a minute until halftime, which proved to be the halftime margin. 

The Minutemen started the second half like they began the first, scoring 15 straight points to take a 53-28 lead. Wang had eight points in the span, while Ahmed had four via a pair of dunks. Clayton also knocked down a 3-pointer to extend UMass' run to 32-1 since the end of the first half, giving the Minutemen a 25-point lead with 16:28 on the clock. 

The Trojans connected on their first field goal in 9:52, sparking an 8-0 run of their own, but Clayton responded with another 3-pionter for a 56-36 lead with 13:36 to go.  

The game settled into a rhythm from there, with the Minutemen lead hovering between 15 and 19. Clayton connected on his third 3-pointer of the half, but the Trojans had another run in them. A 6-0 surge got Troy within 65-52 with 6:17 on the clock.  

The Trojans couldn't get closer than nine the rest of the way. Wang was 4-for-4 from the free throw line over the final 27 seconds to erase any doubt. 

The Minutemen head to Boston for a Friday showdown against Boston College at TD Garden. Opening tipoff is set for 4 p.m. as part of the TNT Sports Hall of Fame Series. UConn faces Michigan in game two of the single-admission doubleheader at 8 p.m. 

Miami 86, James Madison 77
Box Score
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Miami University men's basketball team (1-0) secured an 86-77 win against the James Madison Dukes (0-1) at the Atlantic Union Bank Center on Monday night in both teams' season opener.

Luke Skaljac totaled a game-high 19 points, while Evan Ipsaro (15), Stevie Elam (13) and Almar Atlason (10) added double figures in scoring. Antwone Woolfolk led everyone on the floor with 10 rebounds. Ipsaro led all players with four steals, while both Ipsaro and Sklajac each totaled a game-high five assists. Paul Jones III led the Dukes with 14 points.

The RedHawks attacked the paint at the beginning of the contest to grab an early 8-0 lead at the start. The Dukes answered by taking their first lead at 12-11 before Justin Kirby tipped in his own shot, Woolfolk made a layup and Atlason got positioned in the paint for a touch shot to regain control at 17-12. James Madison didn't go away, evening the score at 23-23 with 8:14 remaining in the first half.

The score remained even at 31 apiece thanks to a series of free throws from the RedHawks. Tyler Robbins recorded a block at the rim and ran the floor in transition, where Kirby then found him for a layup after making an acrobatic pass. Ipsaro flew down the lane and found a cutting Skaljac for a shot against the glass to head into halftime trailing 41-35.

Ipsaro scored a floater coming out of the break and went on to bury a pair of deep triples to make it a three-point game at 48-45. After the Dukes grew their lead to 54-45, Atlason found Kyle Waltz cutting off a back screen for a wide-open layup to end the scoring run. On the next possession, Skaljac recorded a steal and went coast-to-coast, where he found Atlason for a layup plus the foul to stay within striking distance at 54-50. Six consecutive points from Elam knotted the score at 58-58, including a physical transition layup that forced a JMU timeout with just over 10 minutes of action remaining.

A layup and a three from Skaljac from the top of the arc handed Miami its first lead since the first half at 64-63. The Dukes reclaimed the lead at 65-64, but the RedHawks responded with a 13-0 scoring burst. Skaljac didn't slow down, as he hit yet another three from the left wing and got to the free throw line to keep the visitors on top 69-65 with 5:32 to go. A massive offensive rebound from Woolfolk led to an Elam shot from downtown, and on the following possession, Skaljac recorded his third steal of the game, finishing the possession with a three to take the first double-digit advantage of the game by either team at 75-65. JMU attempted to fight its way back into the game, but the Red and White fended off the Dukes for an 86-77 victory.

The RedHawks extended their road winning streak to 16 in a row. The Red and White have now won 32 consecutive regular-season games.

17 of Skaljac's 19 points came in the second half. Alan Horton and Leshawn Stowers each made their collegiate debuts.

Miami shot 16-of-17 (94.12%) from the charity stripe. Waltz led the RedHawks with two blocks.

Miami welcomes Bellarmine to Millett Hall for its first home game of the 2026-27 season on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 5 p.m.

Ohio 86, South Alabama 77
Box Score
MOBILE, Ala. – Led by 21 points and a career-high seven three from redshirt junior guard Kolton Mitchell, the Ohio men's basketball team (1-0) opened the 2026-27 season with an 86-77 win at South Alabama (0-1) Monday night (Nov. 2) in the MAC-SBC Challenge. 

Overall, Ohio shot 49-1 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from three and were 14-of-18 from the line, while South Alabama shot 50 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from three and were 17-of-28 from the line. Ohio outrebounded the Jags 36-27 and dished out 21 assists to South Alabama's 13. 

Mitchell (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) led the Bobcats with 21 points, going 7-of-15 from three, a new career high for three made. Mitchell also two rebounds and dished out three assists. Fifth year guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.) added 20 points, going 4-of-4 from the field, 3-of-3 from three and went 9-of-11 from the line. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists. Graduate guard Siebe Ledegen (Aalst, Belgium) scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists in the win. Redshirt senior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) scored 10 points and grabbed five boards, while sophomore forward Dusan Makitan (Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina) added eight points and 11 boards. 

The Bobcats won the tip, but South Alabama got on the board first with a layup. However, moments later, a three from Makitan put the Bobcats ahead. After South Alabama tied the game at 4-4, a three from Mitchell put the Bobcats up 7-4 headed into the first media break. Out of the timeout, back-to-back threes from Mitchell put Ohio nine. After the Jaguars and Simmons traded baskets, a three from Ledegen game the Bobcats an 18-9 lead. Moments later, South Alabama went on a 7-0 run to cut the Ohio lead to two going into the under-12 media timeout. 

After South Alabama cut the Ohio lead to one, a layup from Simmons gave the Bobcats 22-19 lead with 6:43 remaining in the half. Out of the time out, South Alabama took a three-point lead, before the two teams continued to trade baskets over the next four minutes. After Ledegen gave Ohio the lead with a free throw, South Alabama tied the game at 32-32. Moments later, a Ledegen layup put the Bobcats up two, however, a three from South Alabama with 29 seconds left in the half gave the Jags the 35-34 lead headed into the break. 

At the half, Ohio shot 43 percent from the field, went 5-of-18 from three and were 3-of-4 from the line, while South Alabama shot 50 percent from the field, 3-of-10 from three and were 4-of-10 from the line. Ohio outrebounded the Jags, 17-16 and recorded eight assists to South Alabama's seven. 

Ledegen led Ohio with 11, two rebounds and three assists, while Mitchell added nine points and Makitan grabbed five boards. 

After South Alabama opened the second half with a basket, a three from Paveletzke tied the game at 37-37. After the Jags went up five a jumper from Ledegen and a three from Paveletzke cut the Ohio deficit to 44-42 entering the first media timeout. Out of the break, South Alabama took a seven-point lead. Moments later, a three-point play from Paveletzke started a 9-0 run for the Bobcats, with threes from senior guard Kyler D'Augustino (Albany, Ohio) and Makitan, putting Ohio up 51-49 and forcing South Alabama to call a timeout with 12:11 to go. 

After a three from graduate guard Marin Petkov (Skopje, North Macedonia) and free throws from Simmons put Ohio up four, a three-point play from the Jags cut the Ohio lead to one. However, another three from Petkov gave the Bobcats a four-point lead once again, before South Alabama matched it with one of their own to cut the Ohio lead to one with 8:51 to go. 

Out of the break, a three from Mitchell and free throws from Paveletzke put the Bobcats up six. After South Alabama cut the Ohio lead back down to four, a layup from Ledegen and three from Mitchell gave the Bobcats a nine-point lead. After the Jags hit two free throws cut the lead back to seven, another three from Mitchell gave the Bobcats a 73-63 lead with 4:03 remaining. 

After the two teams traded free throws, a three-point play from the Jags cut the Ohio lead to five before another three from Mitchell put the Bobcats back up eight. After the Bobcats forced a turnover, another three from Paveletzke put Ohio up 82-71 with under a minute to go. After the Jags cut the lead to 82-76, Ohio continued to hit their free throws down the line, securing the 86-77 win. 

Up next, the Bobcats return to Athens on Saturday, Nov. 7 when they host North Carolina A&T. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+. Fans looking to attend can purchase tickets here.