# BALL STATE 73, OMAHA 69
# DePAUL 99, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 66
# TOLEDO 81, DETROIT MERCY 73
# AKRON 102, POINT PARK 46
# OHIO 67, CLEVELAND STATE 56
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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohio (2-0) returned to action Saturday night, defeating Cleveland State (0-2), 67-56 inside the Wolsteine Center. The Bobcats were led by sophomore guard Mark Sears, who finished with 15 points.
Sears finished with 15 points, going 5-of-11 from the field, 4-for-4 from the line, while dishing out four assists. Junior guard Miles Brown finished with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Redshirt senior forward Ben Vander Plas finished with nine points – all threes- and a team-high nine rebounds.
Redshirt fifth year forward Jason Carter and senior guard Tommy Schmock both led the Bobcats with five assists. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Sam Towns finished with five points, six rebounds and three assists.
The Bobcats led 35-25 at intermission.
Cleveland State opened the second half up with a layup and then cut the Ohio lead to 10. However, a layup from Sears and two free throws from Brown were able to give Ohio the 14-point lead, before a layup from CSU cut the lead to 42-30 going into the first media timeout of the half. After the Bobcats and Vikings traded baskets out of the timeout, but a Carter layup and a three from junior guard Lunden McDay, gave the Bobcats a 52-37 lead at the under-12 media timeout.
The Bobcats took their largest lead moments later when a three from freshman forward AJ Clayton and a dunk from Towns gave the Bobcats a 57-40 lead with 8:50 remaining in the game and finished with an 11-point advantage.
For Cleveland State, Nathanael Jack led with 14 points and five rebounds.
Overall, Ohio shot 38.1 percent from the field, hit 12 threes, and went 7-of-10 from the line. Meanwhile, Cleveland State shot 38.2 percent from the field, 21.1 percent from three and 52.6 percent from the line. Ohio outrebounded the Vikings, 42-35. Meanwhile, Ohio dished out 22 assists on 24 shots made and forced 20 CSU turnovers.
Up next, the Bobcats have a quick turnaround as they head back to Athens to take on Robert Morris. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
AKRON, Ohio – Leading from start to finish in their home opener, the Akron Zips put a tough season-opening loss in the rearview mirror and routed visiting Point Park 102-46 Saturday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Sophomore forward Enrique Freeman led Akron with 20 points and 14 rebounds for his first double-double of the year, junior guard Xavier Castaneda added 17 points and made 5-of-8 3-pointers, and sophomore forward Mikal Dawson chipped in with 12 points to help the Zips claim their first victory of the campaign. Freshman center Aziz Bandaogo turned in a solid all-around game with 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocks coming off the bench.
In a thoroughly dominant effort, the host Zips (1-1) led by as many as 58, limited the Pioneers to just 18 made field goal attempts, forced 20 turnovers and outrebounded the visitors by a count of 56-25. Shaking off a last-second loss to No. 17 Ohio State in its opener, Akron scored the game's first four points, increased its edge to double digits for good less than halfway through the opening half and had 11 different players score in the win.
The Zips started fast and rode a wave of 3-pointers and forced turnover to a first-half lead that reached as many as 36 points before intermission. At one point midway through the first half, Castaneda had more points (14) than the entire Point Park offense (12) and as a team, Akron made eight triples in the first 20 minutes.
Bandaogo was a force on defense in the opening frame, blocking two shots and influencing several others. Combined with 13 forced turnovers in the half, the Zips suffocated the visiting Pioneers (1-2) to the tune of just 14 points prior to intermission.
Senior guard Sherron Schifino led Point Park with 10 points and senior guard Jesse Calloway added eight in defeat.
The Zips conclude a brief two-game homestand on Thursday, Nov. 18 when they host Wheeling at 7 p.m. in a non-league tilt.
TOLEDO, Ohio – Sophomore Ryan Rollins scored a team-high 19 points and junior JT Shumate notched his first career double-double to lead Toledo (2-0) to an 81-73 victory over Detroit Mercy (0-2) on Saturday night before 5,086 fans in its home opener in Savage Arena. The victory was the Rockets' fifth in a row in their series vs. the Titans, as well as their 11th-consecutive home-opening win.
"We grinded it out and found a way to win tonight," Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "We played exceptionally hard and it was really about the three E's. It started with our energy and enthusiasm, and I wanted us to play with an edge. I thought we guarded well. They just made tough shots, especially when they spaced the floor like they did."
Shumate, who finish with 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, teamed with junior Setric Millner Jr. to lift Toledo to a 40-37 edge on the boards and an 18-9 advantage in second-chance points. Millner just missed a double-double, finishing nine points and 10 boards.
Also scoring in double digits for the Rockets were junior RayJ Dennis (13 pts.) and redshirt freshman Ra'Heim Moss (11 pts.). The Titans were led in scoring by seniors Kevin McAdoo (23 pts.) and Antoine Davis (21 pts.).
Toledo shot 48.3 percent from the field and limited the visitors to a 42.2 shooting mark. Detroit Mercy (10-of-28 3FG) outshot the Rockets (7-of-22 3FG) from the perimeter, but UT held the upper hand at the charity stripe (16-of-23/9-of-16).
Toledo is back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 17 when it travels to Rochester, Mich. to face Oakland (1-1).
FIRST HALF
Detroit's Antoine Davis opened the game with a three-pointer, but the Rockets answered back with four straight baskets from Setric Millner Jr., JT Shumate, Ryan Rollins and RayJ Dennis.
The Titans regained the lead, 18-17, following a Kevin McAdoo triple with 11:25 remaining in the first half and closed the period with a 6-0 spurt to take a 43-35 lead at intermission.
SECOND HALF
Ra'Heim Moss' three-point play just under four minutes into the second stanza pushed the Rockets' lead to 50-39, its largest lead to that point.
McAdoo's driving layup capped off a 6-0 run and reduced the Titans' deficit to 52-49 with 11:40 to play.
That was as close as the Titans would come as Dennis and Shumate knocked down trey on Toledo's next two possessions.
DePAUL 99, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 66
CHICAGO – Central Michigan was outscored by 30 points in the second half on Saturday, falling to DePaul, 99-66, in a nonconference game at Wintrust Arena.
Aundre Polk scored 11 points to lead CMU, while Brian Taylor, Oscar Lopez Jr., and Jermaine Jackson Jr. added 10 each.
CMU trailed just 41-38 after a competitive first half and was down, 56-52, with under 14 minutes to play.
DePaul then surged, mounting a 23-2 run over a five-minute span to take command, 79-54, with under nine minutes remaining.
"We've got to be able to put two halves together," first-year CMU coach Tony Barbee said. "I thought we did a good job of fighting, competing, and battling in the first half. The second half not so much.
"Their size kind of overwhelmed us. We got outrebounded and the points-in-the-paint discrepancy was the difference in the game."
The Blue Demons (2-0) outrebounded the Chippewas, 46-27, and finished with a 48-26 advantage in points in the paint.
CMU made 46.4 percent of its first-half field goal attempts but slipped to 30 percent in the final 20 minutes.
The Chippewas (0-2) are scheduled to play at Eastern Illinois on Monday (8 p.m.).
By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD OH -- The Miami RedHawks didn't rest on their laurels.
Coming off a huge season-opening win at Georgia Tech Tuesday, MU (2-0) followed with a 104-75 victory over Lamar Saturday at Millett Hall.
"Our guys have a mature approach," Miami Head Coach Jack Owens said. "They know each and every game, we have to come out and compete and play the right way. ... Once we got back from Atlanta, their approach has been the same."
Dae Dae Grant led five RedHawks in double figures, sinking 7 of 11 from the field overall and 6 of 11 treys on the way to 20 points. Mekhi Lairy scored 15 points, followed by Dalonte Brown (13), Kamari Williams (12) and Elijah McNamara (10). Myja White (8) was a perfect 5 for 5 from the field, including two 3-pointers.
One thing that was markedly different than Tuesday's action in Atlanta was shooting; the RedHawks were on target against Lamar. MU shot 39.9 percent overall and 19.4 percent beyond the arc against Georgia Tech. Not only did Miami make 60.0 percent of its shots overall Saturday, it connected on 17 of 32 (53.1%) on treys. Its 17 made triples were just one short of the program record.
"We got the same shots tonight. The only difference ws the ball went in tonight," Owens said.
Lamar (1-1) also shot the ball well, hitting 46.7 percent fromt the field and 52.4 percent (11 of 21) on triples. Like Miami, the Cardinals put five players in double figures. Avontez Ledet put up six shots -- all threes -- and made five of them while scoring a team-high 15 points.
The RedHawks started strong and were up 10-7 less than five minutes into the game. While Lamar began to find the range, Miami used 12 first half treys to establish a 58-32 halftime lead.
Early second half action saw the hosts eventually extend their advantage to 71-35. MU hit 64.5 percent from the floor after intermission and owned a 95-57 lead with 6:04 remaining.
NOTES:
>> Isaiah Coleman lands tied a career high with 10 assists and Miami registered 27 assists overall.
>> The 104 points are the most for the RedHawks since a 119-52 win against Wilberforce on Dec. 30, 2019, which was also Miami's last 100-point scoring effort.
>> The RedHawks had 11 more baskets and a 17-11 edge in 3-point goals. They also out-rebounded the visitors 37-27 and had three less turnovers.
>> Saturday's game was the first of four straight home games. Stetson, Heidelberg and Defiance all visit Millett Hall before Thanksgiving.
BALL STATE 73, OMAHA 69
MUNCIE, Ind. – Jalen Windham led the Cardinals with a career-high 14 points on Saturday inside Worthen Arena as Ball State (1-1) came away with a 73-69 victory over Omaha (1-1) in the first meeting between the two programs.
The Cardinals are now 8-1 in home openers under Head Coach James Whitford. For the second-straight game, Ball State finished with three players in double-digit points.
With the BSU lead at 27-10, the Cardinals started to heat up from behind the arc as Bumbalough, Jacobs, and Windham made three-straight 3-pointers.
The two sides traded baskets and with 2:10 left in the half, Windham hit from behind the arc for the third time and put Ball State on top 44-15. However, the Mavericks ended the half on a 6-0 run and cut the Cardinal lead to 44-21.
In the first five minutes of the second half, the Cardinals and Mavericks went shot-for-shot as each team scored nine points.
With 14:36 left in regulation, momentum started to shift in favor of Omaha. UNO went on a 13-2 run, which made the score 58-43 with 9:28 left in the game. Windham hit a corner 3-pointer after a made free throw to end the 13-2 run by UNO. The Mavericks answered with a 21-3 run and pulled within one of the Cardinals.
With just over two minutes left in regulation, Sparks came up huge with two made free throws and put Ball State up, 67-64. Tyler Cochran added two more clutch free throws to extend the BSU lead to 69-64 with 1:40 left in the game. After Omaha hit a 3-pointer, Sparks converted on a layup to put the Cardinals up 71-67.
The Mavericks did not go away quietly and made a layup to cut the lead to just two points. Omaha had a chance to tie the game with three tenths of a second left on the clock. Jacobs was fouled and made both free throws to make the final score 73-69.
Windham posted a career-high 14 points behind a huge 4-for-5 game from 3-point range. His four made 3's is also a career best. Windham added three rebounds and two assists. Sparks recorded his first double-digit performance with a 13-point effort, which is a career best. He led the team with five free-throws made. Sparks brought down five rebounds and notched the team's only block of the game. Jacobs finished with 10 points, tied for a game-high six rebounds, added four assists, and one steal. His 10 points is a career high in a Cardinal jersey.
As a team, the Cardinals shot 45.8 percent from behind the arc and 41.8 percent from the field. Ball State held the advantage in rebounds, 39-37. The transition game was effective as the Cardinals tallied 14 fast-break points. BSU held the 11-7 edge in points off turnovers. The Cardinals were stout defensively from long range as they held the Mavericks to just 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
Ball State returns to the hardwood for the Jersey Mike's Classic in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday,