MIAMI 85, CALUMET COLLEGE 49
NIAGRA 67, EASTERN MICHIGAN 60
AKRON 85, JACKSON STATE 72
OHIO 81, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 79
BOWLING GREEN 86, HAMPTON 72
By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- With exams in the rear view mirror and an upcoming game at Cincinnati on the horizon, the Miami RedHawks cruised past Columet College 85-49 Sunday at Millett Hall.
"We didn't practice a ton... just to be able to focus on finals," head coach Travis Steele said of the past week. "I thought our guys really started off the game really well. I thought our ball really moved today. I thought we got back to that."
Redshirt junior guard Morgan Safford led four RedHawks . . . CONTINUE
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. (EMUEagles.com) – Eastern Michigan battled to the end, but came up short in its comeback bid as the Eagles dropped a 67-60 decision at Niagara University, Sunday, Dec. 11. Noah Farrakhan led the way with 21 points, four assists, and four rebounds as the Eagles (2-9, 0-0 MAC) came back from several deficits before a 7-0 run by the Purple Eagles (5-4, 1-1 MAAC) closed out the contest inside Gallagher Arena.
How It Happened
After falling behind, 35-33, Eastern Michigan went on a 5-0 run with under one minute remaining in the first half, culminating in a three from Kevin-David Rice, to take a 38-35 lead into halftime. The three-point advantage marked just the third time this year the Eagles were ahead at the break.
Niagara proceeded to take a 48-41 lead before Eastern responded with a 9-0 run, finished off by a Yusuf Jihad layup, to seize a 50-48 lead with 8:59 remaining in the game. Niagara regained control, outscoring the Eagles, 19-10, the rest of the way to secure the win. Eastern shot well from three-point range in the second half, hitting three shots from deep for nine of the team's 22 points.
Emoni Bates was the only other Eagle to reach double figures as he finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and a season-high three assists. His previous high of two assists came twice, most recently against Purdue University Fort Wayne, Nov. 22, at the Cancun Challenge.
AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips remained undefeated at home after downing Jackson State 85-72 in a Sunday afternoon contest at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Akron started strong, blending strong perimeter shooting with aggressive defense, and building a lead of as many as 29 for its fifth win of the season and fourth in its first four home games. The Zips (5-4) shot 53.8 percent from the field, including 11-of-29 beyond the arc, and forced 13 turnovers while limiting the Tigers to 50.8 percent shooting.
Four Zips scored in double figures, led by senior guard Xavier Castañeda with 23 points, junior forward Enrique Freeman (17 points, nine rebounds), graduate transfer guard Trendon Hankerson (17 points) and junior guard Greg Tribble (12 points). It was the highest offensive output of the season for the blue and gold in the second game of a four-game homestand. The 54 points Akron scored in the opening half also marked their highest-scoring frame of the campaign.
Solid passing was once again a key factor offensively for Akron, which notched assists on 19 of its 28 made baskets. The offense was further fueled by 23 points off Jackson State turnovers, along with an 18-5 edge in points scored from the foul line.
The hosts never trailed, building a double-digit lead just moments into the game and never allowing Jackson State back into the contest. The Tigers (1-8), who briefly narrowed their deficit to 10 midway through the second half and forced just 10 Akron turnovers, undercutting any chance for a decisive rally.
Senior forward Jamarcus Jones topped Jackson State with 16 points and freshman guard Keiveon Hunt posted 10 in defeat.
YOUNGSTOWN, OH -- Dwight Wilson III's basket with less than two seconds left lifted Ohio (5-4) to an 81-79 victory over Youngstown State (7-4) Sunday afternoon inside the Beeghly Center.
Overall, Ohio shot 53.2 percent from the field, 45 percent from three and were 6-of-10 from the line, while YSU shot 39.7 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from three and were 14-of-15 from the line. The Bobcats outrebounded the Penguins, 40-31, while Ohio dished out 16 assists to YSU's 14.
Individually, junior guard Jaylin Hunter led Ohio with 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists, while senior guard DeVon Baker added 15 points. Freshman guard AJ Brown scored 16 points, while Wilson III and sophomore forward AJ Clayton both ended with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Ohio built up a double digit lead and carried a 44-31 advantage into halftime. However, Youngstown State clawed its way back and took a one-point lead with 9:32 remaining.
There were eight lead changes and four ties on the night, with the last tie coming on a YSU triple with five seconds left. That tied the contest at 79-79. Ohio won it with its shot at the buzzer.
For Youngstown State, Brandon Rush led with 26 points and six made threes, while Malek Green added 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Dwayne Cohill added 16 points.
HAMPTON, Va. - Bowling Green picked up its second consecutive win on Sunday, besting the Hampton Pirates on the road by a score of 86-72. With the win, BGSU moves to 4-5 on the season and is now 2-0 against Hampton all-time.
The Falcons jumped out early with an 18-2 run and eventually took a 20-point advantage in the first half. Hampton chipped away, cutting the lead down to single digits, but a late 15-1 run for the Orange and Brown reclaimed the cushion to roll into the victory.
The Falcons' offense put six different players in double figures, and one more finished with nine. Samari Curtis and Rashaun Agee each finished with 14 points while Curtis tallied a team-high seven assists and Agee led the way in rebounds with eight. Isaac Elsasser was hot from three, hitting a season-high four triples to total 13 points. Willie Lightfoot added a career-high 11 while the double-digit scoring outputs rounded out with Leon Ayers III and Sam Towns each adding 10. Chandler Turner was close behind with nine points and seven rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bowling Green jumped out to an early 18-4 lead and took a 48-32 lead into the halftime break.
Hampton came out in the second half and started with a 5-0 run to bring the game to 48-37 before the Falcons' first bucket of the half.
Hampton continued to chip away at the BGSU lead, cutting the score down to single digits at 53-45 to force a Bowling Green timeout soon after. The Falcons were able to rebuild the lead with a 15-1 run, growing the advantage back to 18 with the score at 71-53 BGSU.
Hampton made a late push, cutting the lead down to 10 at 80-70, but the Falcons reestablished the advantage with a 6-0 run, rolling into an 86-72 final.