Tuesday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 99, Buffalo 85
Ball State 74, UMass 73 (OT)
Kent State 83, Central Michigan 81
No. 21 Miami 74, Eastern Michigan 64
Toledo 79, Northern Illinois 69
Western Michigan 88, Bowling Green 79
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 99, Buffalo 85
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio - Five Zips (23-5, 14-1) scored in double figures as the Akron men's basketball team defeated the Buffalo Bills 99-85 at home Tuesday.
Akron secured its 30th consecutive home win, tying the longest home winning streak at James A. Rhodes Arena. The first 30 win streak was set from 2015-17.
Tavari Johnson led the way with 23 points, going 11-of-11 from the free throw line, while adding five assists, one rebound and one steal. Evan Mahaffey notched a career-high 20 points, going 8-of-12 from the field, while adding nine rebounds, three steals and three assists. Amani Lyles also helped out with a double double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Shammah Scott supplied 13 points, three assists and two rebounds, while Eric Mahaffey gave Akron 13 points, five assists and four rebounds.
As a team, the Zips went 26-of-29 from the free throw line.
Akron forced 14 Buffalo turnovers. The Zips turned those takeaways into 22 points on the offensive end of the floor. Mahaffey's three steals led the way for Akron.
After falling behind 20-13, Akron went on an 8-0 run with 11:50 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Lyles, to take a 21-20 lead. The Zips then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 39-35 advantage. Akron did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 22 of its 39 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 59-49 before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Mahaffey's layup, to grow the lead to 67-49 with 12:21 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 99-85 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 16 of its 60 total points.
Akron travels to battle rival Kent State on Friday, February 27, with an 8 p.m. start. The Zips and Golden Flashes will be featured on ESPNU.
Ball State 74, UMass 73 (OT)
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team overcame an 18-point deficit with 12 minutes to go in the second half to force overtime, and Armoni Zeigler hit the game-winning shot in the closing seconds of a 74-73 win over UMass on Tuesday night at Worthen Arena.
Davion Hill led the second half comeback for the Cardinals, as he had 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second period. The guard added five points in the extra session, and Zeigler had five as well, including the go-ahead floater with 16 seconds to play. Ball State forced an off-balanced shot from UMass on the ensuing possession to clinch the comeback win.
Trailing 53-35 after a bucket from the visitors with 12:12 to play in regulation, Hill made a triple and an and-one to begin the rally. The redshirt sophomore later made a pair of free throws to get Ball State within four points at 58-54 with 4:05 left on the clock. Mason Jones next hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to cut the deficit to 58-57 at the 2:35 mark of the second half, and Hill drained two more free throws to put the hosts ahead for the first time in the game at 59-58 with 1:32 to go.
Kayden Fish made a tip-in with 45 seconds left, but Isaiah Placide hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds to go that tied the score at 61-61. The Cardinals had two looks in the closing seconds that didn't fall and forced the first overtime game for the team this season.
Fish and Hill provided the offense for Ball State (9-19, 4-11 Mid-American Conference) early in the extra period, including a free throw from Fish that gave the hosts a 72-67 edge with about 80 seconds to play. Placide, who led the Minutemen with 18 points, converted on an and-one and made a triple to put UMass (15-14, 6-10 MAC) back in front 73-72 with 36 seconds left before Zeigler scored the final basket of the game.
Hill added four rebounds and two assists to his season and game-high 26 points on the night, while the Cardinals got 10 points each from Zeigler (seven rebounds, five assists), Fish (five rebounds), Elmore James IV (four rebounds, two assists, two steals) and Juwan Maxey. Jones chipped in five points and six rebounds, and Preston Copeland tallied three points, nine rebounds and two steals before fouling out late in the second half. Hill made all 11 free throws he attempted.
The Minutemen had more rebounds (49-41), but Ball State collected more points in the paint (38-30) on the night. The Cardinals committed four fewer turnovers (14-10) for the game and scored two more points off turnovers (12-10) than UMass.
Ball State shot 35.7 percent (25-70) from the field including 21.4 percent (6-28) from distance and 81.8 percent (18-22) at the foul line. The Minutemen went 37.7 percent (26-69) on field goals, 29.6 percent (8-27) on 3-pointers and 81.3 percent (13-16) on free throws.
The 18-point comeback was the largest of the season for the Cardinals.
Next up for Ball State is a road game at Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
Kent State 83, Central Michigan 81
Box Score
KENT – Kent State Men's Basketball (21-7, 12-3 MAC) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Central Michigan University 83-81 on Tuesday night at the MACC. The Golden Flashes outscored the Chippewas 51-39 in the second half, capping the comeback with a Rob Whaley Jr. game-winner at the buzzer.
Central Michigan came out firing in the opening half, shooting 55.2% from the field and connecting on seven three-pointers to build their advantage. The Chippewas jumped out to a 20-7 lead. The Blue and Gold trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half before closing the gap slightly. Jahari Williamson knocked down a pair of late first half threes to trim the deficit, and Delrecco Gillespie added a dunk and free throw in the final minute to make it 42-32 at the break.
Kent State flipped the script in the second half. Quinn Woidke ignited the comeback with a trio of three-pointers as the Flashes began chipping away at the lead. Cian Medley orchestrated the offense with six assists and clutch buckets, while Morgan Safford heated up with 12 second-half points. The Flashes tied the game at 80-80 on a pair of Medley free throws with 1:14 remaining. After Phat Phat Brooks gave Central Michigan an 81-80 lead at the free-throw line with 18 seconds left, Kent State set up for the final possession. Whaley Jr. took a jumper from just outside the paint that dropped through as the clock hit .1 to play. The Chippewas inbounded their final possession on a long pass but were unsuccessful allowing the Flashes to take the 83-81 win.
Woidke led the bench with 15 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Williamson added 16 points with four three-pointers. Gillespie posted his 21
st double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds continuing to lead the nation. Medley stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six assists, and two steals while running the offense. He is just one assist away from tying the program record at 180, and two away from breaking it at 181. Safford contributed 14 points and Whaley Jr. finished with 10, including the game-winner. Kent State shot 59.1% in the second half and converted 22-of-28 free throws on the night. The Flashes outscored Central Michigan 32-26 in the paint and 18-15 in second-chance points.
Kent State will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 27 against rival the University of Akron. Tip-off between the Golden Flashes and Zips is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in the M.A.C. Center. Gates open at 7:00 p.m. The game will be national televised on ESPNU.
No. 21 Miami 74, Eastern Michigan 64
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich.– No. 21 Miami University held Eastern Michigan scoreless for the first 6:30 of the game Tuesday and went on to defeat the Eagles 74-64 to improve to 28-0 (15-0 MAC). Brant Byers led four RedHawks in double figures with 16 points, while Antwone Woolfolk added 14. Peter Suder chipped in 13 to go with a game-high 10 rebounds and surpassed the 1,500-point mark for his collegiate career. Almar Atlason added 12 points off the bench for the Red and White, who committed a season-low four turnovers as a team. Gregory Lawson led the Eagles (10-19, 4-12 MAC) with a game-high 29 points.
The Red and White scored the opening 12 points of the contest before the Eagles converted a layup to put the score at 12-2 with 13:26 on the game clock. The next possession on offense, Justin Kirby flew through the air for a putback shot, but Eastern Michigan responded by cutting its deficit to just five points at 14-9. Miami answered with a 9-0 run, fueled by back-to-back shots through contact by Byers.
Trey Perry contorted his body through the paint and found a wide-open Elmer for his second triple of the game from the left corner at 26-12. A left-wing triple from Byers and a pair of shots in the paint from Woolfolk, one of which he was fouled on, put the score at 34-22. Atlason closed the first half by scoring nine straight points for Miami to head into the break with a 21-point advantage at 43-22.
Skaljac and Byers opened the second half of play with a pair of jumpers. An offensive rebound from Elmer led to Skaljac finding Suder cutting to the rim at 50-24. The Eagles went on to score 10 points in a row before Perry made a turnaround floater and Suder recorded a steal where he then went coast-to-coast for a fast break layup to make it a 54-34 ball game. The Eagles wouldn't go away, managing to cut their deficit to six points at 56-50 at the 8:17 mark with a furious rally.
Skaljac dished a bounce pass to Woolfolk inside of the free-throw line for a push shot plus the foul to fend off the Eagles 59-50. Suder made two interior shots and Byers buried a three to hold on to a 10-point lead at 67-57 with 2:35 to play. A dunk and two free throws from Woolfolk helped Miami keep control of the game at 71-60. The RedHawks didn't look back, as they went on to finish off the Eagles 74-64.
Miami is 15-0 in conference play for the first time in program history.
The RedHawks extended their road winning streak to 13 overall games and to 12 games in a season (each are the best in program history).
Miami extended the program record for most wins in a season to 28 (previously: 25 last season). The RedHawks' four turnovers marked the team's lowest single-game total since Dec. 11, 2020 vs. Mount St. Joseph.
Suder's double-double was his second of the season (Jan. 20 vs. Kent State); the senior guard now has 1,502 career points between Bellarmine and Miami.
The RedHawks held Eastern Michigan to 34.4% shooting from the floor, the lowest field-goal percentage of any Miami opponent in MAC play since March 2, 2024 (also at EMU).
Miami continues its road trip by visiting Western Michigan on Friday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. on CBSSN.
Toledo 79, Northern Illinois 69
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio — Junior Sonny Wilson paced a balanced attack with 17 points to lead the Toledo men's basketball team to a 79–69 victory over Northern Illinois on Tuesday night in Savage Arena. The win clinched a berth in the 2026 Mid-American Conference Tournament for the Rockets (15-13, 9-6 MAC) and moved UT into a fourth-place tie with Ohio (15-13, 9-6 MAC) in the conference standings.
Wilson was joined in double figures by junior Austin Parks (14 pts.), sophomore Mynor Strong (14 pts.), freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. (12 pts.) and senior Sean Craig (11 pts.). Blyden and Craig also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, with Wilson's seven assists helping orchestrate an offense that posted 21 assists on 30 made field goals.
Parks also added six rebounds, four assists and four blocks to register one of his most complete performances of the season.
Gianni Cobb and Hassan Washington each scored 17 points to pace Northern Illinois (9–18, 4–11 MAC).
Toledo led nearly the entire contest and held a 36-31 halftime advantage. A pair of Strong dunks sparked an 8-2 burst that put the Rockets ahead 46-38 with 15:31 to play. Senior Kyler Vanderjagt's three-pointer increased UT's margin to 57-45 five minutes later. Wilson's layup with 4:35 left provided Toledo with its largest lead, 73-57, before the Rockets settled for a 10-point victory.
Toledo will travel to Athens, Ohio to face Ohio (15-13, 9-6 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m. with streaming on ESPN+.
Western Michigan 88, Bowling Green 79
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – A season-high five players scored in double-figures to help the Western Michigan men's basketball team grab a critical 88-79 victory at Bowling Green on Tuesday evening.
Carson Vis and Justice Williams paced the five in double-figures for the Broncos (10-18, 4-11 MAC) with 17 points apiece. The 17 points established a new career high for Vis. Sharod Barnes went 11-for-12 from the free throw line to net a career-high 15 points. Jayden Brewer and EJ Ryans tallied 14 points apiece, and Brewer added 12 rebounds to collect his team-leading sixth double-double of the season.
A 10-2 run got Western Michigan out to an early 17-12 advantage. The Falcons (16-13, 7-9) countered with a 10-2 burst of their own to regain a three-point edge, 22-19. With the margin at 30-24, eight consecutive points put the Broncos on top, 32-30. WMU remained in front for the remainder of the period and took a 41-38 lead into the break.
BGSU crept back in front, 44-43, in the early stages of the second half, but the Broncos then ran off nine in a row to grab a 52-44 cushion. The Falcons closed the gap to 57-54 with just under nine minutes to go, only to see Western Michigan respond with nine of the next 10 to bring the margin up to 11, 66-55. Bowling Green worked its way back to within four on numerous occasions in the final minutes, but the Brown and Gold made their free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
The Broncos made 27-of-56 (48.2 percent) from the field for the evening and hit 27 of their 31 free throw attempts (87.1 percent). BGSU connected on 25-of-59 (42.4 percent) from the floor.
Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Friday night for a nationally-televised matchup with #21 Miami. Tip is set for 6 pm on CBS Sports Network. For tickets to any WMU men's basketball home game, visit
wmubroncos.com/tickets.
