Tuesday’s Men’s Basketball Results
Akron 77, Central Michigan 64
Ball State 74, Western Michigan 71 (OT)
Buffalo 72, Eastern Michigan 67
Kent State 102, Northern Illinois 76
UMass 94, Ohio 82
No. 19 Miami 74, Toledo 72
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 77, Central Michigan 64
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich - Four Zips reached double figure scoring as the Akron men's basketball team defeated Central Michigan 77-64 on the road Tuesday.
Evan Mahaffey's career-high (16) and
Amani Lyles' (11) fantastic rebounding performances led the Zips (25-5, 16-1) in the contest. Mahaffey tacked on nine points, four assists, and two steals and Lyles added 13 points and three steals.
Tavari Johnson also helped out with 17 points, four assists and two steals.
Bowen Hardman scored 15 points while adding two rebounds.
Mahaffey pulled down six offensive rebounds to lead the Akron offense which grabbed 14 boards and turned them into 16 second chance points.
The Akron defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Tuesday's game, forcing 15 Central Michigan turnovers while committing 12. Those takeaways turned into 17 points on the offensive end of the floor.
Sharron Young led the way individually for the Zips with five steals.
Three Zips recorded four assists, as the Blue and Gold notched 17 on 30 made baskets against Central
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 32-31 advantage, Akron went on a 7-0 run with 4:24 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Johnson, to increase its lead to 39-31. The Zips then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 39-33 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 39 points.
The Chippewas proceeded to tie things up at 49-49 before Akron went on a 12-0 run, finished off by Young's layup, to seize a 61-49 lead with 7:11 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 77-64 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 11 of its 38 total points.
Game Notes
»
Amani Lyles notched a double-double for the Zips with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
» Akron found success from beyond the arc, knocking down 11 treys in the game.
» Akron tallied 17 total assists in the game.
» Akron had a 41-25 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Akron defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Akron cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
»
Tavari Johnson led the Zips with a game-high 17 points.
»
Evan Mahaffey nabbed a game-high 16 rebounds to lead Akron and
Amani Lyles contributed 11.
What's Next?
Akron hosts Northern Illinois for the final regular season and home contest of the 2025-26 season on Friday, March 6. The Zips will honor its five seniors prior to battling the Huskies and will be featured on CBSSN.
Ball State 74, Western Michigan 71 (OT)
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Ball State men's basketball team got a game-tying layup from
Armoni Zeigler in the closing seconds of regulation and claimed a 74-71 overtime thriller on Tuesday night over Western Michigan at University Arena.
Trailing 60-56 after Western Michigan hit a pair of free throws with 19 seconds to play in the second half, Zeigler made a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 11 seconds on the clock to get the Cardinals within one. After the Broncos were fouled and made one out of two free throws, Zeigler drove to the right side of the hoop and finished to knot the score at 61-61 with 2.8 seconds left. Western's 3-point attempt from the right wing hit the back iron to lead to the extra session.
Ball State (11-19, 6-11 Mid-American Conference) scored the first four points of overtime on a Zeigler layup and dunk by
Preston Copeland to go up 65-61 and would lead for the remainder of the game.
Devon Barnes and Zeigler both went to the line in the final 15 seconds with the Cardinals clinging to one-point leads and made both free throws to help the visitors secure the road win.
Zeigler tallied game highs in points (28) and assists (eight) while grabbing seven rebounds.
Davion Hill (17 points, three assists, three steals) and Copeland (12 points, six rebounds) followed in double figures scoring for Ball State.
Juwan Maxey chipped in eight points and four rebounds, and
Mason Jones contributed 10 boards and three steals.
The visitors clamped down on defense early, allowing Western Michigan (10-20, 4-13 MAC) only seven points in the first 12 minutes of the game, before going into halftime with a 25-22 lead. The Broncos started the second period strong and came back to lead by as many as seven points at 45-38 with 10:35 on the clock, but Ball State responded with an 8-0 rally capped by a triple from Maxey to regain a 46-45 edge. The scoring run expanded to 14-2 after Copeland dunked at the 5:48 mark for a 52-47 Ball State lead.
Justice Williams (22 points, six rebounds) and Jayden Brewer (20 points, 13 rebounds) led Western Michigan in scoring and rebounding on the night.
Both teams totaled 35 rebounds, but Ball State held advantages in points in the paint (46-26) and second chance points (11-6). The Cardinals committed three fewer turnovers (11-8) than the Broncos.
Ball State shot 46.8 percent (29-62) from the field including 38.5 percent (5-13) from distance and 57.9 percent (11-19) on free throws. Western went 41.1 percent (23-56) on field goals, 31.8 percent (6-19) on 3-pointers and 79.2 percent (19-24) at the foul line.
The Cardinals return home to conclude the season on Friday night against Central Michigan.
Buffalo 72, Eastern Michigan 67
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo men's basketball program (17-13, 7-10 MAC) defeated the visiting Eastern Michigan Eagles (10-20, 4-13 MAC) on Senior Night, 72-67.
Ryan Sabol continued to dominate on the offensive end as he finished with a game-high 27 points. He went 5-of-9 from three-point range. In doing so, he tied Zach Filzen's 2010-11 single season threes made record with 110.
In his final game in Alumni Arena,
Noah Batchelor scored 13 points with four rebounds and a block.
Angelo Brizzi added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Derrick Talton Jr. helped distribute the ball as he tallied four assists.
Ezra McKenna banged in a pair of threes off the bench.
Time Oboh had four of Buffalo's five blocks as he also snatched 10 boards.
Buffalo's defense stifled the Eagles from deep, as they finished just 2-for-12. The last time the Bulls held a team to two threes in a game was on March 2, 2024, when they held Toledo 2-of-9.
Eastern Michigan took the early lead at 4-0 and kept the lead until five minutes in when the Bulls tied the game at 8. Sabol gave the Bulls a 10-8 lead and the Bulls never looked back. The Bulls pushed the lead to double digits as they held the Eagles' offense in check. With 7:26 to go, Eastern Michigan had only scored 15 points. With the Bulls leading 27-15, it was almost an even half the rest of the way. The Bulls led by as much as 18 at 43-25, but the Eagles made a pair of free throws to make it 43-27 at the half.
A sluggish start by the Bulls gave the Eagles life as they cut it to single digits. A quick 8-0 run by Eastern Michigan made it 43-35 with 16:32 to go. The game stayed at single digits until Brizzi made a fastbreak layup forcing an Eastern Michigan timeout. Leading 55-44 with 12:11 left, the Eagles made it a one possession game as they went on a 9-1 run to make it 56-53 with just over seven minutes left. The Eagles kept it close even when the Bulls started to pull away. In the final 30 seconds, the Bulls held off the Eagles as they made all four of their free throws to ice the game and take home the 72-67 win.
BUFFALO LEADERS
Ryan Sabol: 27 pts., 9-16 FG, 5-9 3PTFG, 4-4 FT, 2 reb., 1 asst.
Noah Batchelor: 13 pts., 4 reb. 1 blk.
Angelo Brizzi: 11 pts., 4 reb., 4 asst., 1 stl.
Derrick Talton Jr.: 7 pts., 3 reb., 4 asst., 2 stl., 40:00 MP
Tim Oboh: 4 pts., 10 reb., 4 blk.
TEAM STATS
Eastern Michigan Eagles: 46.4 FG% (26-of-56), 16.7 3PTFG% (2-of-12), 81.3 FT% (13-of-16), 33 Reb., 11 Asst., 11 TO, 3 Stl., 3 Blk.
Buffalo Bulls: 45.1 FG% (23-of-51), 37.5 3PTFG% (9-of-24), 77.3 FT% (17-of-22), 31 Reb., 12 Asst., 9 TO, 4 Stl., 5 Blk.
The Bulls are back in action on Friday for their final regular season game of the season. They'll travel to Toledo to take on the Rockets at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Kent State 102, Northern Illinois 76
Box Score
DEKALB, Ill. – Kent State Men's Basketball (22-8, 13-4 MAC) put on an offensive clinic Tuesday night, cruising to a 102-76 victory over Northern Illinois University at the Convocation Center. The Golden Flashes went 15-for-33 from three-point range while converting 29-of-35 free throws in the commanding road win. The margin of victory was Kent State's largest in conference play this season.
Kent State set the tone early, jumping out to a 16-14 lead behind balanced scoring from multiple players.
Cian Medley caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting a trio of first-half three-pointers as the Flashes began to pull away.
Quinn Woidke provided a spark off the bench with four first-half three-pointers, including back-to-back triples in a 90-second span that stretched the lead to double digits.
Jahari Williamson joined the long-range barrage, knocking down three triples of his own as Kent State's offense clicked on all cylinders. The Golden Flashes shot 51.5% from the field in the opening half and connected on 10-of-21 from three-point range. Kent State led 51-28 at the break with a trio of player already in double-digits. The Blue and Gold maintained control throughout the second half, stretching the lead to as many as 36 points. Williamson remained hot from distance, finishing with six three-pointers and 18 points.
Delrecco Gillespie powered his way to 18 points despite hitting just five field goals, converting 8-of-10 free throws while battling inside. Medley orchestrated the offense with four assists to go along with his 16 points. The Flashes dominated at the charity stripe in the second half, making 22-of-27 free throws to keep the Huskies at bay.
Dezmon Briscoe provided quality minutes off the bench with nine points and five assists, while
Rob Whaley Jr. had an efficient night with 11 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting.
Dylan Lakatos hit the final three for Kent State off the bench as time winded down to the celebration of the Flashes' bench and fans in attendance.
The Box Score Story
Five Flashes tallied double-digits in the win. Williamson matched Gillespie with a team-high 18 points, going 6-of-10 from three-point range. Medley stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Woidke led the reserves with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Whaley Jr. was perfect from the field with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting. Kent State dominated the glass with a 41-33 rebounding advantage and forced 16 NIU turnovers. The Flashes scored 24 fast-break points and dished out 21 assists on 29 field goals. Their 102 points marked the sixth time Kent State crossed the century mark this year. Kent State handed NIU their final home loss as a member of the Mid-American Conference, as they will begin play in the Horizon League after this season.
Next Up for Kent State
Kent State will play their final home game of the season this Friday, March 6 in the M.A.C. Cetner against Western Michigan University. Tip-off between the Golden Flashes and Broncos is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Senior night recognition will take place during pregame.
- Massachusetts men's basketball (16-15, 7-11 MAC) earned a 94-82 win against Ohio (15-15, 9-8 MAC) on Tuesday. After exchanging leads eight times to begin the second half, the Minutemen pulled away, ending the game on a 22-9 run over the final six minutes.
With the win, UMass clinched a berth into the MAC Tournament, set to begin next Thursday in Cleveland.
The Minutemen were led by
Marcus Banks Jr. with 31 points, a rebound, two assists and a steal. He finished 6-of-12 from three-point range to reach 107 made threes on the season. Banks Jr. also went 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
Leonardo Bettiol followed with 17 points, 13 coming in the first half, finishing 7-of-9 from the field with three rebounds, an assist and steal.
Danny Carbuccia contributed 13 points over the evening with a pair of rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Jayden Ndjigue went 3-of-4 from the field with six rebounds and two assists.
The Bobcats were led by Jac Paveletzke with 24 points, seven assists and three rebounds.
Breaking Down the Action
- The Bobcats opened the scoring with back-to-back jumpers with 18:15 left in the first half.
- Massachusetts answered with a 12-2 run over nearly five minutes, capped by Bettiol's three-point play to double the UMass lead, 12-6, with 13:37 on the clock in the first.
- Both teams traded baskets, with a jumper from Ohio's Jesse Burris tying the game at 28-28 with 6:01 until halftime.
- The Minutemen responded with the next four points, off baskets by Wimbley Jr. and Carbuccia.
- Ohio's Paveletzke's was responsible for an 8-1 run of his own to give the Bobcats a 36-33 lead with under two minutes in the half.
- The Bobcats closed the scoring with three straight points for a 39-37 advantage at the break.
- The teams exchanged baskets early in the second half, with each team leading by no more than four points.
- UMass surged ahead, scoring 10 of the next 12 points, for a 54-50 lead with 13:01 left in the game.
- However, the Bobcats retook the lead with five unanswered points.
- Banks Jr. knocked down five straight free throws for a 59-55 lead with 11 minutes left in regulation.
- After back-and-forth action, the Minutemen gained momentum. Trailing 73-72, UMass managed a 16-2 run for an 88-75 lead with 2:37 on the clock. Banks Jr. scored seven of the points, including a steal and fast break layup, all in the span of seconds.
- The Bobcats staged a 7-1 run to pull closer, but five Massachusetts free throws ended the scoring with UMass taking the 94-82 victory.
Numbers To Know
- 4: Four Minutemen recorded double-digit points on the night: Banks Jr. (31), Bettiol (17), Carbuccia (13) and Ndjigue (10).
- 8: The teams exchanged leads eight times over the course of the game.
- 10: Wimbley Jr. set a career high 10 rebounds.
- 42: Massachusetts scored 42 points in the paint.
Up Next
- With tonight's win, the Minutemen have earned a bid into the MAC Tournament. Exact seeding and opponent to be determined after this weekend's games. Thursday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
No. 19 Miami 74, Toledo 72
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio— It was a celebration 21 years in the making, and no one wanted to leave afterward.
The final buzzer sounded.
The fans erupted.
The trophy was presented.
The confetti fell.
(And wow, was there a lot of confetti.)
The net was cut down, piece by piece.
And the No. 19 Miami University men's basketball team officially claimed its 22nd all-time MAC championship after a thrilling 74-72 win over Toledo in front of a sellout crowd Tuesday night.
When
Peter Suder, the RedHawks' leading scorer with 19 points, finally made it to the postgame press conference after the building had mostly emptied out, he arrived at the podium with a well-deserved necklace: The lion's share of the net that had previously hung from the rim at the south end of Millett Hall.
"That's the beauty of basketball: When you're having fun with the right group of guys, you can become unbeatable," he told reporters.
"It's a surreal moment, obviously," Suder added when asked to reflect on the emotions that come with winning a title, especially with a couple dozen family members in attendance.
"They've been with me through it all, and I'm just super-happy they were there tonight and soaked in the moment as well."
The moment that most fans will remember from an unforgettable night is the final one, as a game Miami (30-0, 17-0 MAC) led from start to finish came down to literally the last tenth of a second on the clock.
Toledo (16-14, 10-7 MAC) rebounded a missed free throw with four seconds remaining in a two-point game and raced forward into the front court, but encountered a defense that wouldn't yield an inch.
Eian Elmer defended the ball,
Antwone Woolfolk stepped up to stop a drive,
Brant Byers reached in to help, and
Luke Skaljac went straight up and down to force a turnover and come up with a steal with 0:00.1 remaining in the game.
"I have so much trust in Eian, Antwone, Brant, Luke, [or] whoever's on the court to get a big stop in those big moments," said Suder, who was denying a potential pass to the far corner on the pivotal defensive possession.
Head coach
Travis Steele said his team, which improved to 7-0 in one-possession contests this year, put together a 'bend-but-don't-break' game. The result was a victory that 10,640 fans in Millett Hall —and countless more around the country and globe who bleed Red and White— will never forget.
"I'm happy for our guys, happy for our staff…just really proud of them…we've come a long way," Steele said after Miami had finally secured its first regular-season championship since 2005.
"There's a proud tradition here. We're the all-time winningest program in the MAC; it just had not been done in a long time, so it's been a lot of fun. It's all about our players: I'm happy for them, happy they're getting to experience this tonight.
"They'll have that memory with them for the rest of their lives, man. [You] can't take that away from them."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Five different RedHawks came up with baskets in the first four minutes of the game, sparking Miami to an early 11-2 lead on a Trey Perry pull-up jumper. A Justin Kirby triple off an Elmer drive and kick made it 14-6 with 14:27 to play in the half. Byers drained a three to give Miami its first double-digit lead at 20-8, and Suder knocked down a three-pointer while getting fouled to stretch the margin to 23-10. After a three-point play from Woolfolk, Skaljac hit two long jumpers to match Miami's biggest advantage of the half at 31-18.
- The Rockets answered back with a 12-0 spurt to trim the lead, but Byers stopped the run with a right-wing three to make it 35-30. A no-look pass from Skaljac to Suder set up a three-pointer with just over a minute to play as Miami took a 38-32 lead. Suder closed the half with a tough driving layup to put the RedHawks on top 40-35 at intermission.
- Miami made enough plays early in the second half to keep the Rockets at bay, taking a 46-43 lead on an Almar Atlason dunk and then stretching the margin to 54-45 after triples from Suder and Byers. Toledo closed within a single point at 56-55 and could have taken its first lead of the game, but Elmer blocked a shot at one end of the floor (one of his season-high four rejections) and promptly buried a three at the other to make it 59-55 with 8:15 remaining. "That was a huge play by Eian," Steele said. "He impacts winning; that's what great players do, not just all scoring…he rebounds, he defends, he can score, he can shoot, he can do a lot of things…if he's not an All-Conference player, that's insane."
- Perhaps the most improbable offensive sequence of the night came two minutes later, as a hustle play from Skaljac getting on the floor set up a desperation one-legged floater by Suder to beat the shot clock. That brought the crowd to life and staked Miami to a 63-58 lead with 5:38 to play. "Sometimes you get lucky," Suder laughed later. "Sometimes it's your night. Great effort by Luke to get on that loose ball – that was a huge turning point for us."
- Down the stretch, Woolfolk scored a pick-and-roll layup and then hit from behind the arc to give Miami a 68-62 lead, but the visitors answered back again and pulled within 72-70 in the final minute. Miami drew up a play in the ensuing timeout that worked to perfection, with Skaljac feeding Woolfolk a bounce pass for a right-handed layup to make it 74-70 with 40 seconds to go. Leading 74-72, the RedHawks had a chance to make it a two-possession game at the foul line, but after a miss, Toledo came the other way with a chance to win it. Miami's defense stood tall and forced a turnover in the final second to set off a raucous celebration as the Red and White clinched at least a share of the conference title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
SCREAMING STUDENTS = SIXTH-MAN SUPPORT: Steele and Suder both credited the home crowd for helping push the RedHawks over the finish line in yet another nail-biter. "They have an impact every single night here; they're our sixth man off the court," Suder said. "They're a huge piece to the puzzle of what we've built here."
"This can happen anywhere in the country, but it's happening right here in Oxford," Steele added as he reflected on how far the program has come over the past four years after a fourth-straight home game in front of more than 10,000 fans. "Miami's got a special campus and hopefully we're adding to that and hopefully we're gaining even more exposure for our wonderful university."
LOOK AT LUKE: Skaljac returned to the lineup after missing the previous game due to injury and collected 11 points on 57% shooting while playing nearly 29 minutes. "I'm really proud of Luke for playing," said Steele. "He's not 100%, but he's playing; he wants to be out there with his brothers.
"He left it all out there."
STRETCHING STREAKS: Miami finished off a perfect season at Millett Hall, winning its 31st-straight home game. The RedHawks also became the first team in Mid-American Conference history to win 17 games in a row. Miami also became just the fourth team this century to start a season 30-0, joining 2013-14 Wichita State, 2014-15 Kentucky and 2020-21 Gonzaga.
CLIMBING THE LADDER: As each RedHawk took his turn cutting down a sliver of the net postgame, Suder predictably drew a loud ovation when he began to climb the ladder. However, it's possible the biggest cheers were for a different Miami guard, albeit one in street clothes:
Evan Ipsaro, who suffered a season-ending injury in the MAC opener. "I know he's not playing," Steele explained, "[but] I told Evan when we were cutting down the nets: To lose him when we lost him, not many teams would be able to be as good as we are with losing him.
"He's a stud. He's a monster. And he's just as big a part as Peter, as Antwone. Even though he's not out there right now, his leadership is critical to the success of our team. Same with Eian: Those three guys were voted as captains, [and] player-led teams are way better than coach-led teams."
CHECK, PLEASE: While Steele's team certainly celebrated winning a championship tonight ('This is a big deal!'), the head coach said he would probably only let himself enjoy it for the drive home before turning the page to Ohio. "We've got to move on quick; we've still got a lot of season left," he pointed out. Miami will take on the Bobcats in Athens Friday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN2 with a perfect regular season on the line. "This is awesome and I'm happy for our guys: One of our goals that we had the beginning of the year was to win the regular-season title," Steele commented. "Check. Now I want to finish this season undefeated. I want to win at Ohio; that's a rivalry game…and then can we go win the MAC Tournament up in Cleveland?
"That is the goal. We want to leave absolutely no doubt."
Miami will be the No. 1 seed for the MAC Tournament at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio next week; tickets to the March 12 quarterfinal are available here.
