
# BALL STATE 91, BOWLING GREEN 69
# AKRON 105, EASTERN MICHIGAN 81
# MIAMI 91, WESTERN MICHIGAN 71
ATHENS, OH -- AJ Clayton led five Bobcats in double figures as Ohio (9-6, 3-0 MAC) cruised past Northern Illinois (4-11, 0-3 MAC)10-8-70 Saturday at the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats exceeded 50 points in both halves, taking a 57-39 lead to intermission and outscoring NIU 51-31 in the second half.
Clayton, a 6-8 senior forward did his damage in just 18 minutes on the court. He hit 10 of 12 field goals overall and 9 of 10 treys.
Jackson Paveletzke tallied 19, followed by Shereef Mitchell's 15 points. Aidan Hadaway and Elijah Elliot chipped in 10 apiece for the 'Cats. Ohio connected on 61.7 percent from the field overall and 54.8 percent on threes.
Quentin Jones topped the Huskies with 25 points. Quaran McPherson netted 14 points, while James Dent Jr. and Nasir Muhammad chipped in 12 apiece.
MUNCIE, IN -- Hosting Ball State (8-7, 2-1 MAC) built up a 14-point halftime lead and pulled away with a 15-0 second half rally before posting a 91-69 win over Bowling Green (6-9, 1-2 MAC) Saturday at Worthen Arena.
Payton Sparks led the Cardinals with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. Mickey Pearson Jr and Juanse Gorosito recorded 16 apiece, while Jeremiah Hernandez (14) and Jereahri Hill (12) rounded out a starting five that all reached double figures. Ethan Brittain-Watts chipped in 10 points off the bench.
Javontae Campbell hit 6 of 8 from the field while scoring a team-high 13 points for BGSU. Joining him in double figures were Wilguens Jr. Exacte (12), Marcus Johnson (11) and Trey Thomas (10).
The Falcons made just 11 of 21 (52.4%) from the free throw line. Ball State hit 18-of-22 at the stripe and 33 of 56 (58.9%) from the field overall.
YPSILANTI, MI -- Visiting Akron (10-5, 3-0 MAC) connected on 60.7 percent from the field and seven Zips reached double figures as UA defeated Eastern Michigan (7-8, 1-2 MAC) 105-81 Saturday at Gervin GameAbove Center .
Akron senior forward James Okonkwo hit 9 of 11 at the free throw line on the way to a team high 17 points. Isaiah Gray (13), Nate Johnson (12) and Tavari Johnson (10) were also starters in double figures. Sharron Young (11), Bowen Hardman (11) and Shammah Scott (10) combined for 31 points off the bench.
Junior guard Christian Henry topped the Eagles with 20 points. De'Sean Nelson (16), Jalen Terry (12), and Arne Osojnik (15) also reached double figures.
Akron built a commanding 54-38 halftime lead and added another 51 points in the second half to put the game away.
OXFORD, OH -- Hosting Miami connected on 58.3 percent from the field during a blistering first half performance that set up a 91-71 RedHawks victory over Western Michigan Saturday at Millett Hall.
It was the fifth consecutive win for MU, which is now 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2005. Western Michigan dropped its eighth straight outing.
The RedHawks . . . CONTINUE