Saturday's MAC Men's Basketball Results

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Zeke Marshall and Nick Harney scored 13 points each to help the Akron Zips to a 74-64 road win at Central Michigan on Saturday in a Mid-American Conference cross divisional matchup.

Marshall finished 3-of-4 from the field and 7-of-11 from the line while Harney was 4-of-4 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line. Chauncey Gilliam also reached double figures with 11 points.

The Zips (14-7, 6-1 MAC) finished the game shooting 48.9 percent from the field (22-of-45) and finished with a 34-30 rebounding advantage.

Derek Jackson led CMU (7-13, 2-5 MAC) with a game-high 21 points.

CMU scored the first five points of the second half to cut the Akron lead to 40-33 with 19:06 left in the game. The Zips answered by scoring the next seven points to push their advantage back to 47-33 by the 16:34 mark.

After the Chippewas closed to within six points (52-46) with 9:55 to go, Alex Abreu answered with five-straight points to push Akron's lead back to 57-46 (8:46). The buckets ended a 3:31 drought by the Zips.

The double-digit lead was short-lived as CMU responded to cut the UA advantage to five (57-52) with 7:28 to go. Harney answered with six points of his own to push the Akron advantage back to 63-54 at the 5:39 mark.

A 3-pointer by CMU's Derek Jackson got the Chippewas within three points (63-60) with 3:18 to go. However, the Zips would make five free throws, including an and-one by Marshall, to push their lead back to 71-60 with 1:00 to go.

The Zips opened up an early 7-2 lead to force a CMU timeout with 16:23 left in the opening half. With Akron leading 15-11 with 13:45 on the clock, the Zips used an 8-0 run to push its advantage to 23-11 by the under-12 media timeout (11:32).

UA pushed its lead to as many as 19 (34-15) with 5:29 to go before CMU responded by ending a four-and-a-half minute drought with nine of the next 14 points. The Akron lead heading into the under-four media timeout (3:18) was 38-24.

The Zips closed out the half with a 40-28 advantage as the teams headed to the locker room. Akron shot 54.2 percent in the first half (13-of-24) and won the rebounding battle 23-16. UA shared the ball well as eight-of-nine players that appeared in the first half had at least one point and the Zips dished out 10 assists on 13 made buckets.

Gilliam led the way with eight points while Marshall and Harney had seven points each.

Akron returns to Rhodes Arena for four of its next five games beginning with a TV match-up with Toledo on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air live on SportsTime Ohio.

TOLEDO, OH – Too many turnovers proved costly for Toledo Saturday evening as the Rockets dropped a 77-61 decision to defending Mid-American Conference regular-season champion Kent State (14-6, 4-3 MAC). The contest was played before a season-high 4,720 fans in Savage Arena.

Sophomore G Rian Pearson led three Rockets in double figures with 22 points, marking his sixth 20-point outing of the season. Junior G Curtis Dennis and sophomore F Matt Smith each tallied 13 points for Toledo (10-11, 2-5 MAC) with Dennis also contributing a team-high five assists and four steals.

Pearson, Smith and sophomore F Reese Holliday each grabbed seven rebounds to help UT register a 32-31 advantage on the glass. But that work on the boards was offset by 19 turnovers (12 in second half), Toledo’s most miscues since its season opener vs. Texas State.

Junior F Chris Evans paced the Golden Flashes with a career-high 23 points, six rebounds and four steals. Reigning MAC Player of the Year Justin Greene scored 14 points, while senior G Michael Porrini added 14 points and a game-high eight assists.

Kent State shot 52.9 percent from the field and topped the 50 percent mark in each half. UT was limited to a 39.0 FG%, including a season-low 1-of-16 effort from behind the three-point arc.

Trailing 38-33 early in the second half, the Rockets committed six straight turnovers and were suddenly staring at a 46-33 deficit with just over 15 minutes remaining in the contest. The closest UT was able to come the remainder of the game was 10 points, 60-50, with 8:33 to play.

Toledo opened the contest on fire, scoring the game’s first six points to force a KSU timeout. The Golden Flashes quickly answered with a 10-0 spurt though and maintained their lead until Dennis’ alley-oop pass led to a Pearson dunk to knot the score at 24 with 4:31 to play in the opening stanza. The visitors wouldn’t let the Midnight Blue and Gold build any momentum unfortunately, thanks to a 6-0 burst that Dennis nearly nullified with five straight points of his own.

Porrini’s layup with eight seconds remaining in the half provided Kent State a 35-31 cushion at intermission.

Toledo will now look to regroup when it visits MAC East Division leader Akron (14-7, 6-1 MAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on SportsTime Ohio.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team took over sole possession of the Mid-American Conference West Division race with a 55-50 win over Bowling Green State University here Saturday, Jan. 28, evening in a Mid-American Conference cross-divisional game in the Convocation Center.

Head Coach Rob Murphy's Eagles, now 5-2 in league play and 10-11 overall, out-scored Bowling Green, 12-7, over the final three minutes to record the home victory.

EMU senior guard  Darrell Lampley (Linden, N.J.-Linden-Lakeland C.C.) led the way with a 20-point night while redshirt forward  Anthony Strickland (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Dearborn Heights Robichaud) added eight points and six rebounds, including two clutch free throws with just 6.3 seconds left that gave the Eagles a 55-50 lead which ended up as the final score.

Bowling Green, now 9-11 overall and 3-4 in the MAC, was led by the duo of A'uston Calhoun and Dee Brown with 12 and 10 points respectively.

The Eagles finished the game shooting 36.4 percent from the field, making 20-of-55 shots while also connecting on 6-of-14 threes for 42.9 percent.  Bowling Green would shoot 34.8 percent, making 16-of-46. The Falcons committed 19 turnovers but won the battle of the boards, 40-33.

Bowling Green eased out to a 17-11 lead in the first 10 minutes before Lampley would connect on an arching two-point field goal near the lane and a long triple from the top right side of the arc to cut it to 17-16, with 9:54 left in the half.

The Eagles would then score the next four unanswered points, on two Riley free throws and a driving layup by Lampley,  to take a 20-17 lead with 7:06 left in the half.

The teams traded baskets before Eastern would forge a 25-all tie on a dunk by Jamell Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) with 1:24 left and the half would end with that deadlock.

Lampley led the way in the first half with seven points while Riley added five. The Eagles shot just 35.7 from the field in the first half on 10-of-28 shooting while BGSU was making just 33.3 percent of their own, hitting 8-of-24. The Falcons would hold a decisive 23-15 edge in rebounding.

Neither team could find the range in the early stages of the second half and the score remained tied at 25-all through the first 2:30.

Eastern would finally break the deadlock, going on a 12-7 run over the next five minutes to take a 37-32 lead with 11:46 left on a triple by Lampley.  Strickland would add a layup just 32 seconds later for a 39-32 EMU advantage.

Bowling Green would fight back to tie the game once again at 43-all before Lampley would bury a long three from in front of the EMU bench to put Eastern on top, 46-43, with 3:12 left.

After a free throw by BG's Torian Oglesby made it 46-44, EMU's Antonio Green (Dearborn Heights, Mich.-Robichaud) would fire home a three from the right baseline for a 49-44 EMU lead with 2:20 left.

Redshirt guard J.R. Sims (Fort Wayne, Ind.-Snider) would then take a nice feed from Lampley to hit a layup with 58.6 left for a 51-44 EMU lead.

       

BG's Jordan Crawford would answer with a long three to cut it to four, 51-47, but Lampley and Strickland would both make two free throws each over the final 34 seconds to help EMU preserve the 55-50 victory.

The Eagles will stay in MAC cross-divisional action with a trip to Oxford, Ohio Wednesday, Feb. 1, for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Miami University RedHawks.

ATHENS, Ohio- The Ohio men's basketball team (17-4; 5-2 MAC) defeated MAC West Division leading Ball State University 59-55 Saturday afternoon in the Convocation Center. With the win, Ohio captured its fourth-straight win and improved its record at home to 12-1.

Junior guard Walter Offutt (Indianapolis, Ind.) led the Bobcats, posting team-highs of 13 points and six rebounds. Offutt was joined in double figures by junior forward Ivo Baltic (Kansas City, Mo.) who added 10 points. Junior guard D.J. Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) contributed six points and six assists while junior forward Reggie Keely (University Heights, Ohio) added eight points and five rebounds.

Chris Bond led Ball State scoring a game-high 14 points and pulling in 12 rebounds. Other key contributors for the Cardinals were Randy Davis with 12 points and Jarrod Jones with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

The Bobcats shot 40 percent from the field and thrived off an active bench (outscored Ball State 21-13). On defense Ohio forced the Cardinals into 22 turnovers, including eight steals. The 22 Ball State turnovers marked just the second time this season in which the Cardinals have had 20-or-more miscues.

The Bobcats also were able to hold Ball State to just 33 percent shooting from the field and just 35 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Ball State was quick out of the gate, racking up a five point, 7-2 lead behind five points from Bond with 16:22 remaining in the first half. Ohio responded by going on a 21-2 run to take a 14-point, 23-9 lead with 8:37 left to play in the first.

The Bobcats' run was keyed by Baltic who scored four points and Offutt who also added four. Ohio also benefited from 3-pointers from Cooper, freshman guard Stevie Taylor (Gahanna, Ohio) and sophomore guard Ricardo Johnson (Covington, Ky.).

The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the first half with Ohio holding a 34-27 lead at the break. Offutt led the Bobcats in scoring in the first half putting up eight. Baltic added seven points and three rebounds and sophomore forward Jon Smith (Columbus, Ohio) scored six points.

Ohio shot 44.8 percent from the field on the offensive end and was able to force Ball State into 13 turnovers on the defensive end.

Bond led the Cardinals in the first half, leading all scorers with nine points and adding six rebounds. Davis added six points and Jarrod Jones scored four points and pulled down five rebounds for Ball State.

The Bobcats scored nine of the first 13 points to start the second half, extending its advantage to 43-31. Ball State fought back, tying the game at 48 with just over six minutes left in the game. Both teams continued to battle to the final buzzer with Ohio eventually claiming the victory. Over the final two minutes, there were four lead changes and two ties.

Keely led the Bobcats in the second half scoring six points and pulling in five rebounds. Offutt contributed five of his team-high 13 points and added four rebounds in the last 20 minutes.

Jones led Ball State scoring seven points and adding 10 rebounds in the second half.

As a team Ohio shot 33 percent from the field in the second half and on the defensive side of the ball forced the Cardinals into nine turnovers.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan men's basketball team received two magnificent performances in the front court, and the Broncos weathered a three-point barrage from the Miami RedHawks to win 73-64 at University Arena on Saturday. With the win, the Broncos improve to 10-11 on the season, with a 4-3 record in the Mid-American Conference. They are now unbeaten in nine home games this year.

Sophomore center Shayne Whittington recorded his first career double-double with a career-high 15 points and 11 rebounds, and senior forward Flenard Whitfield set a new scoring high for the season, scoring 22 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Of Whitfield's 22 points, 15 came in the first half, as he was crucial in keeping the Broncos' post offense rolling.

As a whole unit, the Broncos shot an impressive 24-of-42 (.571) from the field against the RedHawks, and out-rebounded Miami 34-26.  The Broncos also improved on their biggest problem of late, turning the ball over just eight times in the game.  Both Mike Douglas (12) and Austin Richie (13) also broke double-figures in scoring.  All five starters in the game played 30 or more minutes.

The Broncos' offense was clicking on all cylinders in the first half, as WMU shot 15-of-25 (.600) from the floor and dominated the RedHawks in the paint, out-scoring them 18-0 in the post. Miami's saving grace came in the form of the three-point line; the RedHawks made 11-of-13 three-pointers, but still trailed at the half as the Broncos asserted their control. The RedHawks were leading 24-20 with 8:02 remaining in the first half before the Broncos got it going, when Whitfield hit a turnaround jumper to cut the lead to one possession.

The Broncos took the lead just one possession later, when Richie knocked down a jumper while being fouled; Richie made the subsequent lay-up to make it 25-24. It would be the start of a 14-0 run for the Broncos, who capped it off with a deep three from Richie to give WMU a 34-24 lead with 5:03 remaining in the first. The RedHawks trimmed the lead heading in, but the Broncos were able to keep them at arm's length and entered halftime with a 36-35 lead.

The Broncos took the lead for good at the 17:51 mark of the second when Nate Hutcheson drilled a three-pointer from the left wing to give WMU a 41-38 lead. Hutcheson's three kicked off a 16-4 run for the Broncos; Whitfield hit a pair of free throws at the next possession, Richie knocked down a jumper a minute later, and the Broncos were on their way to extending their lead to 52-40.

Whitfield capped the big run with a jumper at the 12:10 mark of the second half to give the Broncos a 54-42 lead; their largest lead of the game would come a minute and a half later when Whitfield scored, again, on a fast break lay-up. Mike Douglas scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half, including a 6-of-8 mark from the free throw line, and the Broncos cleared the bench in the final minutes to preserve the 73-64 win.

DeKALB, IL – The University at Buffalo men's basketball hit a season-high 11 three-pointers en route to a 74-59 win at Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon. It was the fourth straight win for a UB squad that improves to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in the Mid-American Conference.

The Bulls got contributions from a number of different Bulls as 10 different players scored for UB. Javon McCrea scored 14 points and added 12 rebounds in only 19 minutes of action for his fifth double-double of the season. The sophomore forward was a beast on the boards in the second half, pulling down 11 rebounds in only nine minutes.

Zach Filzen had 12 points, all on three-pointers. His fourth triple gave him 1,000 points for his career, counting his freshman season at Northern Arizona. He had four of the Bulls' 11 three-pointers in the game. Tony Watson chipped in with three three-pointers to finish with nine points. Dave Barnett also knocked down a pair of treys for six points and added six rebounds.

Both teams were a little sluggish out of the gate and a free throw by Mitchell Watt gave the Bulls their first lead of the game, 13-12, with 9:23 left in the half. It was a lead the Bulls would never relinquish. Leading 18-15, UB connected on three-pointers on five of its next six possessions, capped by an Auraum Nuiriankh triple that put the Bulls ahead, 33-21.

Buffalo lead 37-28 at the break.

Northern Illinois (2-17, 1-6 MAC) would get no closer than the nine-point halftime advantage. The Bulls held the Huskies to just three field goals over the first 15 minutes of the second half. Xavier Ford hit a pair of free throws to give the Bulls their largest lead of the game, 72-47, with 2:51 remaining.

"I thought our guys rebounded the ball better in the second half," head coach Reggie Witherspoon said.  "I thought we got anxious early and whenever that happened they nailed us. We settled down in the second half. All in all I think it was a good road win for us."

Watt finished with 10 points and had four of the Bulls' seven blocked shots. Nuiriankh finished with seven points and Jarod Oldham had five points for Buffalo.

The Bulls held the Huskies to 28.1 shooting from the field, matching a season-low by a UB opponent. Buffalo also held Dayton to 28.1 percent shooting from the field.

Buffalo will return home to face Ball State on Wednesday night at Alumni Arena.