KENT STATE 86, BALL STATE 65
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Junior RayJ Dennis tallied 21 points and seven assists and senior Setric Millner Jr. contributed 20 points and six boards to help Toledo pull away down the stretch for an 86-77 Mid-American Conference victory at Buffalo. The victory moves Toledo to 13-6, 4-2 in MAC play. Buffalo dropped to 9-10, 3-3 MAC.
"This was a big win for us, and our defense came up huge in the final five minutes," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "Buffalo is a tough place to win, and they were undefeated at home this season. RayJ came up with a some very big plays down the stretch, and Seth was huge for us too."
Senior JT Shumate and sophomore Dante Maddox Jr. also scored in double digits for the Rockets with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Shumate also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and four steals, while Maddox did all of his scoring in the second half.
LaQuill Hardnett topped Buffalo (9-10, 3-3 MAC) with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Curtis Jones and Isaiah Adams tallied 15 apiece, while Yazid Powell added 12 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
~~ Toledo closed out the half with five straight points, including a a Dennis layup at the buzzer for a 46-39 advantage.
~~ Buffalo came out strong to start the half, scoring the first seven points to even the score at 46-46.
~~ The Bulls took the first lead since early in the first half when LaQuill Hardnett's three-point play gave the hosts a 63-62 lead with 11:23 remaining. Millner and Dante Maddox hit baskets on the Rockets' next two possessions to give Toledo the lead for good.
~~ Back-to-back buckets from Dennis and Millner then extended Toledo's lead to 72-67 with eight minutes remaining.
~~ Isaiah Adams drilled a three-pointer to bring Buffalo within 72-70 a minute later.
A Ra'Heim Moss three-pointer and Shumate slam increased UT's lead to 77-70 and the margin didn't fall below five the rest of the way.
KENT, OH -- The Flashes connected on 50.8 percent from the field as Kent State rolled to an 86-65 victory over visiting Ball State Tuesday at the M.A.C. Center. It was the 10th straight win for KSU (16-3 overall, 6-0 MAC). Kent State is the only undefeated team in MAC play. Ball State fell to 4-2 MAC and 13-6 on the season.
KSU's Sincere Carry led all scorers with 18 points. Chris Payton tallied 16, followed by Jalen Sullinger (13) and Malique Jacobs (11).
Jaylin Sellers and Basheer Jihad led the way for BSU with 11 apiece. However, they were the only Cardinals to reach double figures.
The Flashes went out front early and owned a 45-28 halftime advantage. They then outscored Ball State, which had won two straight, 41-37 over the final stanza.