BUFFALO 79, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 68
By MIKE SMITH/MRO
OXFORD, OH -- First they turned up the defense, and then they turned on the heat.
Central Michigan held Miami to 28.1 percent from the field in the second half while hitting 70.8 percent themselves to rally for a 83-69 win Tuesday at Millett Hall.
A 27-3 second stanza Chippewas run proved decisive, with much of the CMU damage coming from long distance. Central Michigan hit six treys during the onslaught, capitalizing on a RedHawks dry spell in which MU managed just one field goal in over eight minutes.
The victory broke a five-game losing streak for CMU (6-19, 5-9 MAC), while Miami (12-16, 6-11 MAC) fell for the third time in its last four outings. Both teams are battling feverishly to finish among the top eight teams headed to this year's MAC Tournament play. Both play Saturday and will face each other again Tuesday in Mount Pleasant.
CMU freshman guard Kevin Miller had the hot hand -- particularly from long distance -- and led all scores with 24 points. He connected on 6 of 7 treys and 9 of 13 from the floor overall. He also dished out six assists and registered two steals while committing only two turnovers.
Ralph Bissainthe contributed 17 points, while Brian Taylor (15). Harrison Henderson (10) and Miroslav Stafl (10) also reached double figures.
Miami, meawhile, had just two players in double figures. Mekhi Lairy tallied 18 points, with 16 of the RedHawks 32 second half points. Dae Dae Grant netted 16 points, 13 of which came before intermission.
MU led through most of the first half and enjoyed a 37-33 edge after 20 minutes. It was a 43-36 Miami lead early in the second stanza when Central Michigan went on its decisive run. The Chippewas hit six triples during that stretch.
On the evening, CMU made 13 of 24 (54.2%) on treys and 30 of 54 (55.6%) field goals overall. Miami, facing a very active Chippewas zone defense, was good on 22 of 66 (33.3%) from the field and 11 of 32 (34.4%) outside the arc.
DEKALB, IL – Buffalo kept its winning streak alive on Thursday night as the Bulls defeated Northern Illinois, 79-68, at the Convocation Center. The win improves UB's record to 18-8 on the season and 12-4 in MAC play.
During the contest, senior Josh Mballa joined the 1,000-point club on his second basket of the night. He becomes the 26th player in school history to score 1,000 career points and the fourth Buffalo player to do it this season.
The Bulls used a strong second half, shooting just under 52 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes of action.
It was a struggle to begin the night as the Bulls were unable to click offensively, allowing the host Huskies to jump out to a 22-16 lead with 6:50 left in the first half. Northern Illinois continued to lead 28-24 when a three from sophomore David Skogman cut the deficit to one.
Over the final two minutes of the first half, the Bulls' defense hunkered down and held NIU scoreless for the remainder of the half, while the Bulls scored six straight to take a 37-32 lead into the break.
Senior Jeenathan Williams scored 18 of his game high 28 points in the second half as the Bulls built their lead to double figures. A layup from freshman Curtis Jones with 9:12 left gave the Bulls their largest lead of the night at 62-46.
The Huskies would cut the deficit to seven, but five straight points from Williams ignited a 7-0 run as Buffalo rebuilt a 14-point advantage and went on to win by 11.
Williams had five boards and three assists to go along with his game-high 28 points. Ronaldo Segu finished with 19 points, six assists, two blocks and two steals.
Mballa registered 14 points, while Skogman added 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
As a team, the Bulls held a 45-33 advantage on the glass. UB, which leads the MAC in three-point field goal percentage, allowed NIU to shoot just 27.8% from behind the arc, including 0-for-7 in the second half.
Keshawn Williams led Northern Illinois with 21 points. Adong Makuoi added 12, while Zool Kueth just missed double figures with nine points.