Tuesday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 66, Eastern Michigan 64
Bowling Green 77, Ball State 52
Kent State 75, Toledo 72
UMass 95, Central Michigan 89
No. 23 Miami 73, Buffalo 71
Ohio 91, Western Michigan 71
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 66, Eastern Michigan 64
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. - Bowen Hardman hit a 3-pointer with only nine seconds remaining on the clock to put the Akron men's basketball team up for good in a 66-64 win against the Eastern Michigan Eagles on the road Tuesday.
The Zips (19-4, 10-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Tavari Johnson, who had 17 points and six rebounds. Hardman tacked on 12 points, Evan Mahaffey helped out with 12 points and two steals, while Sharron Young added 12 points, three steals and two rebounds.
Amani Lyles pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace the Akron offense which grabbed 10 boards and turned them into 14 second chance points.The Zips turned 16 takeaways into 14 points on the other end of the floor. Sharron Young's three steals led the way for Akron.
Lyles's eight rebounds led the Zips while Eric Mahaffey's seven and Johnson's six were close behind.
After falling behind 26-24, Akron went on a 5-0 run with 4:28 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Johnson, to take a 29-26 lead. The Zips then added one point to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 31-27 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down seven shots to account for 21 of its 31 points.
Eastern Michigan proceeded to take a 52-43 lead before Akron went on an 8-0 run, finished off by Shammah Scott's three, to shrink the deficit to 52-51 with 6:41 to go in the contest. The Zips kept the rally going and took the lead for good on Hardman's three-pointer with 00:09 left for a 66-64 comeback victory. Akron made the most of seven offensive rebounds to tack on seven second chance points out of 35 total in the period.
Akron stays on the road when it travels to Troy, Ala., to battle the Troy Trojans on Saturday, February 7 for a 6 p.m. ET start. Akron and Troy will be featured on ESPN2.
Bowling Green 77, Ball State 52
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team got back in the win column Tuesday night (Feb. 3) with a dominant 77-52 win over the Ball State Cardinals. The Falcons took the lead with their first basket and never looked back, never surrendering the lead to Ball State during the game. The Bowling Green defense held Ball State under 30 in both halves, allowing just 52 points the entire game to tie for the fewest points in a MAC game by a team this season. On the offensive side, BGSU was rolling from all levels, shooting 56.3-percent from the field, 50.0-percent from three and 93.3-percent from the free throw line. The well-rounded effort resulted in a 25-point margin of victory for BGSU, their largest during the Coach Simon Era in a MAC contest. Bowling Green moves to 14-9 on the season while being 5-6 within the MAC heading into the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge this weekend.
Ball State won the opening tip, but it was the Falcons who struck first with a Josiah Shackelford bucket, sparking a 7-2 run to the first media timeout in favor of the Falcons. Sam Towns added a layup followed by a Mayar Wol three, both assisted on by Javontae Campbell.
The Cardinals ended the run out of the break, but a three from Javon Ruffin resumed BGSU's scoring. Ball State answered with a three before a Troy Glover II floater and an Aiden Goins layup to go up 14-7 at the under-12 media timeout.
Goins kept it going after the timeout with a pair of baskets in the paint separated by a Ball State three. Shackelford added two at the line, but the Cardinals matched in the same fashion. Troy Glover II got a second-chance basket to fall, giving the Falcons a 22-12 lead at the under-8 media timeout.
Ball State and Shackelford traded free throws before back-to-back BSU buckets cut into the lead. Towns ended the brief spurt with a layup, but Ball State again answered before back-to-back buckets from Goins. Each team added a layup with BGSU's coming from Campbell for a 32-22 score at the final media timeout of the first half.
Out of the break, the Falcons tallied a 6-0 run. Campbell finished off his and-one followed by layups from both Campbell and Wol. Towns closed out the run with one at the line before the next Ball State basket. Towns later added two at the line before the half, building a 40-27 BGSU lead at the midway point.
The Falcons came out for the second half hot from three. Wol got it started followed by one from Campbell. Shackelford broke the string with a steal and layup, but Wol went back to work from distance before Shackelford drained a three for a 54-36 lead at the first media timeout of the second half.
Shackelford stayed hot coming out of the break, scoring BGSU's next eight points with a pair of threes and a layup between to keep the Falcons in front, 62-44, at the under-12 media timeout.
Ball State attempted to chip away before the next break with BGSU adding a Towns layup and two Campbell free throws to keep the advantage at 66-48 with 7:44 left in regulation.
The Cardinals registered the first three points out of the break, but a 5-0 BGSU run followed to begin a Falcons stretch that spanned the rest of the game. Glover hit two at the line before Shackelford drained a three for a 71-51 lead at the under-4 media break.
The Falcons kept it going down the stretch with two Campbell free throws plus layups from Shackelford and Makhi Leach to close out the game with an 11-1 run over the final six minutes of action for the 77-52 victory.
The Falcons will be back on the road for their next two contests, heading to Arkansas State on Saturday (Feb. 7) and Northern Illinois on Tuesday (Feb. 11). The game at ASU will be a 3 p.m. EST tip followed by an 8 p.m. EST start at NIU. Bowling Green will return home to the Stroh Center on Feb. 14 for a Valentine's Day showdown with Toledo, set for a 5 p.m. start. The game will be an Orange Wave as well as the Bird Reveal for the mascots.
Kent State 75, Toledo 72
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio– Kent State Men's Basketball (17-6, 8-3 MAC) swept the season series against the University of Toledo Rackets on Tuesday night winning by a final score of 75-72. The Golden Flashes trailed UT by as much as 17 in the second half before storming back to ground the Rockets for the second time in three weeks.
Kent State and Toledo seesawed back and forth in the opening half with the Rockets keeping their noses just in front. Both squads were shooting in the mid-40% over the first 15 minutes of play. Delrecco Gillespie led the charge for Kent State as the Flashes found success in crashing the glass. He had 13 of Kent State's first 29 points as the Rockets led at the break 36-29. While the threes began to fall for the Flashes at the start of the second half, so to were they for Toledo's Sonny Wilson. The Golden Flashes kept pace as Toledo went on a 23-17 run over the next 10 minutes. Kent State followed up with a 5-0 run to close the game to a 12-point deficit just under the eight-minute media timeout. Kent State turned it into 12-3 run bringing the deficit to single digits on a big three from Rayvon Griffith and a throw down by from Gillespie. Morgan Safford drained a three with 3:56 to play making it a five-point ballgame. Cian Medley tallied a layup that Safford followed up with an and one on the opposite end hitting the free throw to tie the game with 1:45 to play at 69-69. With under a minute to play Medley hit a second chance three-pointer with 44 second left to take a 72-69 lead. Quinn Woidke extended the lead for KSU while Leroy Blyden Jr. missed one of two for UT. Safford added a pair of free throws before Gillespie blocked a would-be three from Wilson completing the Kent State comeback and Toledo collapse.
With the sweep Kent State has extended their winning streak to five over Toledo. Kent State earned two straight wins in Savage Arena for the first time since the 2009-2010 and 2011-2012 seasons. Gillespie has tallied 19 double-doubles (25 points, 1o rebounds) in 23 games continuing to lead the nation. Griffith tallied his second double-digit performance in the KSU uniform with 11. Safford heated up down the stretch dropping 13 for double-digit game number 15 on the season.
Kent State will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 7 when they travel to take on the University of Southern Mississippi for their second game of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET in Hattiesburg.
UMass 95, Central Michigan 89
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. -- Massachusetts men's basketball (15-9, 6-6 MAC) claimed a 95-89 win against Central Michigan (7-16, 3-8 MAC) on Tuesday night on the back of a 55 point second half and multiple Minutemen records. The game will be remembered for the three point shooting performances by UMass' Marcus Banks Jr. (10-for-15) and Central Michigan's Logan McIntire (12-for-16).
Banks Jr., finished with a career high 37 points going 12-of-17 from the field with 10 three pointers and five steals. Banks Jr.'s 10 three pointers set a program record.
Danny Carbuccia dished out 17 assists for UMass, setting a program record and were the most since Chaz Williams on Dec. 7, 2013, against BYU. Carbuccia's assists tied for second most assists in a Division I men's game this season and marked the most by a D-I freshman since TyTy Washington also totaled 17 assists against Georgia on Jan. 8, 2022.
Leonardo Bettiol recorded 22 points going 8-for-11 from the field with five rebounds and two assists. Daniel Hankins-Sanford contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals over the evening.
The Chippewas were led by McIntire who had a career high 40 points, going 14-of-19 from the field, including 12 three pointers. The senior posted four rebounds, three assists and a steal. McIntire set a program record for three pointers in a game at CMU.
Central Michigan opened the scoring with a triple from Logan McIntire less than a minute into the game.
A pair of three pointers from Banks Jr. highlighted a 9-2 run over two minutes to give the Minutemen the lead.
Tamario Adley opened a Chippewas 10-2 run to tie the game 18-18 with 12:37 on the clock. The Minutemen retook the lead off a Hankins-Sanford jumper.
After trading baskets, a Banks Jr. fastbreak layup extended the Massachusetts lead, 38-33 with 4:00 left on the clock.
Central Michigan engineered a 14-2 run to close out the first half with a 47-40 advantage.
Out of the locker room, triples from Hankins-Sanford and Banks Jr. highlighted a 12-7 run for a 56-52 scoreboard.
Back-to-back three pointers from Banks Jr. pulled the Minutemen within one with 14:06 left in the game. The teams exchanged baskets, with McIntire's eleventh basket from the arc giving the Chippewas a 74-65 lead.
Off a timeout, Banks Jr. highlighted a 15-2 run to give Massachusetts 80-78 with 4:46 left in regulation.
Freethrows from Bettiol, Ndjigue, Hankins-Sanford and Banks Jr. in the final minutes gave the Minutemen a 95-89 victory.
The Minutemen head south to Conway, South Carolina and take on Coastal Carolina as part of the MAC-SBC challenge at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7.
No. 23 Miami 73, Buffalo 71
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Luke Skaljac scored 15 of his career-high 19 points after halftime as No. 23/24 Miami University hung on for a 73-71 win at Buffalo Tuesday night in Mid-American Conference play. Brant Byers had 11 points for the RedHawks (23-0, 11-0 MAC), while Peter Suder added 10 points and eight assists. Angelo Brizzi had a game-high 22 points for the Bulls (14-9, 4-7 MAC).
From spin moves to step-backs, with up-and-under moves on one trip and fancy footwork the next, Skaljac came through every time the Red and White needed a big basket. The sophomore guard also recorded a career-high five steals, all after intermission, and added three assists.
An early Eian Elmer three, followed by back-to-back layups from Byers and Almar Atlason, sparked a 7-0 run for Miami to give the visitors a 9-3 lead. Byers finished a layup and then connected on a deep triple to make it 18-11 with 13:19 left in the half. Buffalo responded with seven-straight points to tie the score, but Justin Kirby knocked down a corner three-pointer and Skaljac drove for a layup to put Miami on top 23-18 at the midway point of the period. On the next trip down the floor, Suder eluded an attempted double-team and got to the rim to make it 25-20, capping a run of 11 Miami made field goals in a span of 12 attempts.
After the Bulls went back on top, Elmer answered with a long-range shot from the corner to re-take the lead at 28-26. Trey Perry then converted layups on back-to-back trips, but Buffalo came right back to go ahead 33-32 before Byers was able to hang in mid-air and hit from inside. Tough turnarounds in the paint by Antwone Woolfolk and Skaljac in the final two minutes gave the RedHawks a 38-35 lead at the intermission.
Miami broke the game open with a 10-0 run in the first two minutes of the second half. Three-pointers from Elmer and Skaljac stretched the lead to 44-37, and Suder came up with layups after RedHawk steals on each of the next two possessions to force a Buffalo timeout. Skaljac then made a highlight-reel up-and-under spin move and added a step-back jumper from the foul line to give Miami its largest lead at 52-40. The home team wouldn't go away, scoring nine points in a row to trim the lead to a single possession before a Skaljac pull-up and a high-flying transition jam from Kirby with 11:51 left.
Miami's first free throws of the game stretched the lead to 60-52 with 9:25 to go, but a 10-2 spurt helped Buffalo draw even once more with 6:39 on the clock. Skaljac used a transition Eurostep to get to the rim and re-take the lead, and then consecutive hoops from Woolfolk inside put Miami on top 68-66 at the 4:50 mark. Skaljac took over from there, scoring on a spin move and burying a pull-up jumper down the stretch to give the RedHawks a 72-66 cushion. "We've got all the confidence in the world [in] him taking and making those shots," Steele said. Still, Buffalo continued to stay close, throwing down a one-handed dunk and hitting a three, and after Miami missed back-to-back free throws, the Bulls ended up with the final shot attempt of the game. However, Ryan Sabol came up short on a potential game-winner from the right corner over the out-stretched arms of Suder, allowing the Red and White to escape with a 73-71 victory.
Miami will take a short break from conference play for a MAC-Sun Belt Challenge game at Marshall this Saturday, Feb. 7. Tip time in Huntington, W.Va. is set for 4 p.m.
Ohio 91, Western Michigan 71
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio Men's Basketball team (13-11, 7-5 MAC) returned to The Convocation Center Tuesday night for a matchup with fellow MAC opponent Western Michigan (8-14, 2-8 MAC). After an efficient scoring night, the Bobcats came out on top, 91-71.
As a team, Ohio had one of its best scoring nights of the season, converting 13 threes, its second-best mark this season. In addition to a good three-point shooting night, the Bobcats shot 51.7 percent from the field, making 30 of their 58 attempts. The team also tallied 39 total rebounds and nine steals.
Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) and senior guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.) tied for the team lead in scoring with 17. Paveletzke also lead the team in assists with eight. Senior forward Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) had another good game with 15 points and a team-leading eight rebounds. Senior guard Ajay Sheldon (Dublin, Ohio) recorded 12 points on four-made threes, while freshman guard JJ Kelly (Chambersburg, Pa.) also recorded a double-digit scoring night with 13.
Paveletzke got the Bobcats into an early groove after a three-pointer put the team up 8-4. Solid shooting continued for the Bobcats throughout the game's opening minutes as they took a 17-14 lead into the first media timeout.
Back-to-back threes from senior guard Dior Conners (Columbus, Ohio) and redshirt freshman forward Kiir Kuany (Melbourne, Australia) gave the Bobcats momentum as they began to pull away from the Broncos. On the following possession, Kuany made his presence known again as he slammed in a commanding dunk in the paint to give the Bobcats their first double-digit lead at 28-18.
A converted and-one by Simmons broke a brief first-half scoring drought for Ohio and extended its lead to a then-game-high 12 with under six minutes to play. The lead would only grow from there as Ohio's three-point shooting remained hot with back-to-back makes from Sheldon from beyond the arc to contribute to an 11-0 run.
Going into the break, Ohio led 44-28 with the team shooting better than 40 percent both from the field and from three.
The scoring didn't slow down coming out of the half as Kelly connected on a three-pointer on the team's first possession. Kelly would lead the Bobcats early in the second half with 10 points in the first nine minutes out of the break.
Ohio's lead would grow to as many as 21 in the second half as a consistent scoring attack was too much for Western Michigan to overcome.
The Bobcats ended the game on a 5-0 run to secure a 91-71 victory over Western Michigan for their second-straight conference win.
Up next, the Bobcats will complete the MAC-SBC Challenge with a road trip to Old Dominion this Saturday, Feb. 7. That game will tipoff at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
