BALL STATE 83, WESTERN MICHIGAN 72
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 69, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 63
KENT STATE 91, BOWLING GREEN 83
MRO STAFF REPORT
YPSILANTI, MI -- Eastern Michigan (8-11, 3-5 MAC) used a barrage of 3-pointers and big game by freshman Noah Farrakhan to defeat visiting Miami 85-75 Saturday at the Convocation Center. The victory broke a four-game Eagles losing streak, while MU (9-10, 3-5 MAC) fell to its second straight loss and third setback over the last four outings.
Farrakhan, a 6-2 guard who played at East Carolina last year, hit 11 of 15 shots on the day, including 3 of 4 treys and all three free throws on the way to a game-high 28 points. Forward Nate Scott, meanwhile, posted a double-double with 25 points and 10 boards to go with two steals and two blocks. He hit 6 of 12 triples -- part of EMU's record day from long distance.
The Eagles 14 3-point field goals was second-most in the programs history. Twelve of them (a Gervin Center record for the first period) came in a blistering first half when Eastern Michigan shot 60.6 percent overall and 60 percent from beyond the arc.
The Eagles led 16-15 before going on an 18-0 run. When the teams broke for intermission, EMU owned a massive 55-28 advantage.
Eastern Michigan's largest lead came at 15:26 remaining when it led 63-30. Miami, playing without forward Dalonte Brown, chipped away for a final margin of 10 points.
Isaiah Coleman-Lands registered a career-high 20 points to lead the RedHawks. He came off the bench to hit 7 of 14 overall and 5 of 10 treys in 25 minutes of action. Dae Dae Grant (13 points on 6 of 21 from the floor) was the only starter in double figures. Kamari Williams tallied 11 points and Marr Avance added 10.
Overall, the RedHawks shot 39.5 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from outside the arc. However, they got to the free throw line for just five shots and made three.
EMU cooled after intermission, finishing the day at 49.2 percent with one less field goal than the visitors. The Eagles went 14 of 30 (46.7 percent) on triples and were 13 of 17 at the stripe.
DeKALB, Ill. – Ralph Bissainthe scored 17 points to lead four Chippewas in double figures as CMU held on for a 69-63 Mid-American Conference victory over Northern Illinois on Saturday at the Huskies' Convocation Center.
It was CMU's first win since a Dec. 29 victory at Kent State as the Chippewas improved to 3-13, 2-3 MAC. NIU dropped its fifth straight and is 5-12, 2-5 MAC.
Six of CMU's previous eight games had been postponed and it had dropped the two games it had played during that stretch.
Harrison Henderson added 16 points, Kevin Miller had 14, and Cameron Healy finished with 11 for the Chippewas, who led by 12, 53-41, with under nine minutes to play. NIU then went on a 14-2 spurt to tie it at 57-all with under four minutes remaining.
Miller hit a jumper with 1:51 remaining to put CMU in front, 63-61. Henderson then nailed a back-breaking 3-pointer with just over a minute left to extend the lead to 66-61, and Brian Taylor converted a layup with 39 seconds left to make it 68-61.
When the dust settled, CMU finished on a 9-2 run, holding NIU to 1-of-6 shooting over the final 1:30.
Henderson's triple was CMU's only 3-pointer of the second half as it finished 1-for-12 from long range over the final 20 minutes.
Miller, the freshman point guard, played all 40 minutes. His 14 points were one shy of his season best and his seven assists were a career high. He also grabbed a career-best five rebounds and committed just three turnovers. Bissainthe's 17 points were a season high, and he led CMU with nine rebounds.
Keshawn Williams paced the Huskies with 20 points. Anthony Crump hit 4 of 5 shots while finishing with 10 points. Northern Illinois shot 42.1 percent from the field but was just 3 of 17 (17.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
MUNCIE, Ind. – Miryne Thomas had a team-high 18 points as Ball State extended its winning streak to three games on Saturday with an 83-72 victory over Western Michigan. With the decision, BSU improved to 10-10 on the season and 5-4 in Mid-American Conference. WMU fell to 4-16 overall and 0-9 in conference action.
For the second time this season the Cardinals finished a game with five players in double figures. Thomas led the way with 18 points, for his sixth-consecutive game in double figures. Tyler Cochran tallied his fifth-straight game in double digits behind a 13-point effort. Luke Bumbalough added 13 points, while Demarius Jacobs went for 11 points. Payton Sparks picked up his fourth double-double, behind 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Lamar Norman Jr. recorded a game-high 22 points to lead WMU and added a rebound and an assist. B. Artis White posted a 21-point effort with two rebounds, a steal, and tied for a game-high three assists. Markeese Hastings and Mileek McMillan each tallied 10 points. Hastings collected a team-high nine rebounds.
The Cardinals started the game on fire. BSU opened the first half with a 17-2 run, led by Bumbalough and Jacobs, each with five points. During the stretch, Ball State shot 7-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. The Cardinals' lead of 15 was their largest of the game.
WMU answered with a 14-7 run to pull within eight, 24-16, with 10:50 left in the first half. Ball State then responded with a 13-7 run. During the run, BSU went 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from long distance. Thomas, Bumbalough, and Jaylin Sellers each drained a 3-pointer.
WMU ended the first half with five unanswered points to pull within seven, 46-39.
The Broncos came out running on all cylinders and opened the second half on a 10-0 run. Combined with the end of the first half, WMU scored 15-straight points.
After a timeout, the Cardinals picked up their intensity and rattled off a 12-2 run to regain the lead, 58-51, with 12:49 left in the game. Western Michigan managed to pull within one, 60-59, but BSU responded with an 8-2 run and held a 68-61 lead with 8:50 left in regulation.
The remainder of the game was a back-and-forth battle. With the Cardinals up 81-71, a heads up move by Cochran on an in-bound play from under the WMU basket led to an easy fast-break slam dunk by Thomas to seal the victory for BSU.
As a team, the Cardinals shot 58.5 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range. Ball State shined on the glass as it held a 29-19 advantage in rebounding over Western Michigan. BSU was dominant on the offensive boards, which led to a 10-0 advantage in second-chance points. Points in the paint was a another Cardinal plus as Ball State outscored Western Michigan, 40-26.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Kent State (11-9, 6-4 MAC) scored 58 points in a second-half shootout to grab a hard-earned 91-83 victory over Bowling Green (11-10, 4-6 MAC) Saturday at the Stroh Center.
In the Flashes' highest scoring effort against a Division-I opponent this season, Sincere Carry starred yet again with a game-high 30 points. He was 11-for-19 from the field and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc while adding seven assists.
The Flashes and Falcons traded buckets and leads throughout the first half before Bowling Green went on a 6-0 run in the final minutes of the first period to extend its lead. A VonCameron Davis layup with 10 seconds on the clock sent the teams into the locker room with BGSU leading 37-33.
When play resumed, KSU catapulted out of the locker room from the opening possession when Carry drilled a three to get the scoring snowball rolling. He eventually turned his success into 23 second-half points. It was Carry's second 30-point game of the season.
Kent State and Bowling Green went back and forth all second half, but a 6-0 Falcons run after the game was tied at 54 left the Flashes behind with 10 minutes remaining. After trading baskets for a couple minutes, Kent State used an 8-0 run to regain the lead, 67-65, with 7:21 to play.
Big threes by Carry and Davis extended the lead and KSU pulled away in the final minute for the eight-point win. Davis scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in just 26 minutes.
Andrew Garcia recorded 13 points despite fouling out in only 19 minutes, and Malique Jacobs notched his second straight near triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Daeqwon Plowden scored 27 points, with 21 before intermission, to lead Bowling Green. Myron Gordon added 13 points and eight assists for the Falcons. Joe Reece chipped in 12 points.