Akron 86, Eastern Michigan 61
Toledo 90, Miami 81
Central Michigan at Buffalo - Postponed
Northren Illinois at Bowling Green - Postponed
Kent State at Ball State -- Postponed
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ATHENS, Ohio -- A career-high 21 points for freshman guard Mark Sears led the way for Ohio (9-6, 5-4 MAC) in an 81-58 victory over Western Michigan (2-10, 1-8 MAC) Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.
Four Bobcats reached double figures. Sears finished the day with 21 points, six assists and two boards. Senior forward Dwight Wilson III added 19 points and eight rebounds. Redshirt junior forward Ben Vander Plas and sophomore guard Lunden McDay each tallied 11 points.
The Broncos were led by senior forward Greg Lee, who tallied 17 points.
After taking a 43-31 lead into halftime, the Bobcats struck first in the second half, outscoring the Broncos 10-2 in the first few minutes to put Ohio up 53-33 with 15:18 to go. A put-back basket by Wilson III gave the Bobcats a 71-47 lead with 6:13 remaining and Ohio cruised to a 23-point win -- Ohio's largest margin of victory in conference play to date.
(Courtesy of Ohio Athletics/MRO Edit)
AKRON, OH -- Maishe Daily tallied four treys and scored 14 points to lead Akron over Eastern Michigan 86-65 Tuesday at James A Rhodes Arena.
Also reaching double figures for UA were Ali Ali (13), Bryan Trimble Jr. (12) and Enrique Freeman.
The Zips connected on 33 of 69 field goal attempts (47.8%), while EMU made 22-of-60 (36.7%) tries. Akron also helped itself with a 50-31 advantage in rebounds.
Ty Groce earned game-high honors with 28 points and also registered 11 rebounds to lead the Eagles. Bryce McBride provided 20 points and Drew Lowder added 10.
The two teams were tied at 24-all with 6:20 remaining in the first half. Akron then went on an 18-2 run to hold a 42-26 advantage at intermission. When UA opened the second stanza with a 10-0 run, it held a commanding 52-26 lead.
Akron's fifth straight win raised the zips record to 7-2 MAC (9-3 overall). Eastern Michigan fell to 1-7 MAC (4-8 overall) with its fourth straight loss.
By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- Junior forward J. T. Shumate exploded for 33 points on a near perfect offensive night Tuesday as the Toledo Rockets ended Miami's three-game win streak with a 90-81 victory at Millett Hall.
It was the third straight win for Toledo, which has won 11 of its last 12 outings. The Rockets are now 9-1 MAC (14-4 overall). Miami dropped to 4-3 MAC (7-5 overall).
Shumate, who previously had connected on just 2-of-13 trey attempts this season, knocked down all five long distance attempts against MU. Overall, he set a new Toledo school record by hitting all 11 of his field goal tries. His only miss of the night came at the free throw line, where he was 6-of-7.
Also reaching double figures for UT were Ryan Rollins (13), Mattia Acunzo (13) and Setric Millner Jr. (11).
"We played well from start to finish," said Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk after his team defeated the RedHawks for the 14th game in a row. "Miami is a good team that was coming off three convincing wins last week. That's a good team we beat on the road. We have a lot of guys who can step up for us and it was great to see JT shoot the ball like we know he can."
Toledo, which has now scored 89 or more points in six of the last six games, continued to display a potent offense Tuesday. As a unit, the Rockets hit 57.9 percent (33/57) from the floor and 47.8 percent (11/23) on treys.
Miami also shot well, connecting on 54 percent (34/63) from the field overall. That gave the RedHawks one more field goal. However, they had three less triples (8-of-22) and eight less free throws (5-of-7 to UT's 13-of-15).
Miami was led by Mekhi Lairy's 17 points. Joining him in double figures were Dae-Dae Grant (14), Delonte Brown (12) and James Beck (10).
Toledo got on the board quickly as Shumate opened scoring with a trey. His jumper at 17:05 put the Rockets on top 11-4. Miami narrowed the gap and it was a 30-27 UT lead after Isaiah Coleman-Lands hit a triple at 6:21. Toledo then went on a 13-0 run and eventually took a 45-33 advantage to intermission.
The Rockets lead fluctuated in the second stanza, with MU making several runs, only to have UT answer with big shots. When Miami pulled within four (79-75) with 2:33 left, Jackson and Rollins responded with layups. As time ticked away, the RedHawks were eventually forced to foul, and UT secured its win at the line. Shumate scored UT's last five points -- three at the charity stripe and two on layup.