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 Last week in the Mid-American Conference…Cross-Divisional play began and the Akron Zips remain on a roll. UA has won three straight and 11 of its last 13 with apair of road wins last week. However, the Buffalo Bulls and Ohio Bobcats also won their games to keep pace and the Kent State Golden Flashes are still within striking distance.
In the Western Division, the surprising Eastern Michigan Eagles sit atop the standing after a victory Saturday coupled with Ball State dropping a pair of games to the top teams in the East.
This week Ball State heads into Buffalo on Wednesday. Akron gets Eastern Michigan on Saturday along and Kent State plays host to Western Michigan in key match-ups.
Here is a look at all 12 MAC Men’s Basketball Teams in action last week
EASTERN DIVISION
AKRON (6-1, 14-7): The Zips went to Muncie Tuesday and in a battle of division leaders defeated Ball State 70-58 as four players scored in double figures, led by Brian Walsh and Quincy Diggs each with 16 points. For Walsh, a transfer from Xavier, it was a career high. The bench again was key to a UA victory, outscoring BSU’s bench 30-4. Saturday in Mount Pleasant, UA defeated Central Michigan 74-64 for their third consecutive win and finished the month of January with a 7-1 record. Zeke Marshall and Nick Harney led the offense with 13 points each. The Zips return home this week for a pair of games against Toledo on Wednesday and Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
BOWLING GREEN (3-4, 9-11): The Falcons got back to their winning ways on Wednesday with a 71-58 victory over Central Michigan at the Stroh Center. That ended a two-game losing streak and a stretch of three losses in their previous four games. Four BGSU players scored in double figures, led by Scott Thomas, A’Uston Calhoun, and Jordon Crawford, each with 14 points. Saturday was a short trip to Ypsilanti to face Eastern Michigan. In a close defensive game, the Falcons came out on the short end of a 55-50 score as A’Uston Calhoun and Dee Brown led BGSU with 12 points each. This week, the Falcons head into Kalamazoo on Wednesday to battle Western Michigan before returning home Saturday for Northern Illinois.
BUFFALO (5-2, 12-6): The Bulls picked up their third consecutive win Tuesday night as they routed Eastern Michigan at Alumni Arena, 65-47. Javon McCrea led UB in scoring with 17 points. Zach Filzen added 16 and Mitchell Watt had 14 as they held the Eagles to just 34 percent shooting from the field. Saturday, the Bulls made the long trip to Northern Illinois and collected their fourth straight win as they defeated the Huskies 74-59 with McCrea collecting his fifth double-double of the season on 14 points and 12 rebounds. JerrodOldham leads the MAC in assists at 6.2 per game while McCrea is third in scoring at 16.4. UB plays host to Ball State on Wednesday night before heading into Toledo on Saturday.
KENT STATE (4-3, 14-6): The Golden Flashes returned home to the MAC Center and emphatically ended their two-game losing streak with a 90-56 rout of Northern Illinois. Five KSU players scored in double figures, led by Kris Brewer with 15 points. Three others had 14, including Justin Greene. After their decisive win over NIU, the Flashes headed into Toledo on Saturday and grounded the Rockets, 77-61. In doing do, the Flashes picked up their first MAC road win of the season and their first away from home since December 29th at Arkansas State. Chris Evans had a career-high 23 points with six rebounds and four assists as KSU shot 52.9% from the field. Evans was named MAC East Player of the Week for his performance in the two wins, averaging 18.5 points per game with five rebounds, two assists and 2.5 steals. The Flashes head to Central Michigan on Tuesday before returning home for Western Michigan on Saturday.
MIAMI (1-6, 5-14): The RedHawks dropped their third straight game Wednesday night as Toledo came to Millett Hall and picked up a 63-61 victory. Julian Mavunga led the Hawks with 14 points and 11 rebounds while freshman Brian Sullivan came off the bench to score 13. Saturday, it was a long trip to Kalamazoo but the same result as they fell to the Broncos, 73-64, for their fifth loss in the last six games. Sullivan again was an offensive catalyst, coming off the bench to lead MU with 20 points while Mavunga had another double-double with 19 points and 10 boards and continues to lead the MAC in scoring (17.6) and in rebounds (9.7). MU face the top two teams in the West this week, starting with Eastern Michigan at home on Wednesday then heading to Ball State on Saturday.
OHIO (5-2, 17-4): The Bobcats continued their homestand with their third consecutive win as they defeated Western Michigan, 56-51, as D.J. Cooper led the Green and White with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Saturday, the four-game homestand concluded with a 59-55 win over Ball State, improving the ’Cats mark at home to 12-1 (the lone loss coming to Robert Morris). Walter Offutt led Ohio with 13 points and Ivo Baltic added 10. The ‘Cats head to Northern Illinois on Wednesday before returning to the Convo on Saturday for Central Michigan
WESTERN DIVISION
BALL STATE (4-3, 12-9): Despite 25 points from Jerrod Jones, the Cardinals fell at home to Akron on Tuesday night in a battle of division leaders. It was the ninth time this season that Jones has scored 20 or more points in a game. He also had nine rebounds as the Cards absorbed just their second loss in the last eight games. Ball State then went to Athens on Saturday, falling to the Bobcats, 59-55. It was the first back-to-back losses since mid-December when they fell to IUPUI and Morehead State. Chris Bond led BSU with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jones added another double-double (11pts-15reb) and Randy Davis scoring 12. He continues to be second in the MAC to Miami’s Julian Mavunga in scoring (17.1) and rebounds (8.8) while Davis is second in assists at 5.8 dimes per game. BSU makes the long trip to Western New York on Wednesday to face Buffalo before returning home to Worthen Arena on Saturday against Miami.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (2-5, 7-13): The Chippewas traveled to Bowling Green on Wednesday, losing to the Falcons, 71-58, for their fourth consecutive loss. Trey Ziegler, who was held in check in their loss Saturday at Western Michigan, led all scorers in the game with 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. The Chips returned home on Saturday and suffered a fifth consecutive loss at the hands of the Akron Zips, 74-64, as Derek
Johnson led all scorers in the contest with a career best 21 points. Trey Ziegler added 16 and Austin McBroom had 14.CMU closes the month of January on Tuesday with a home game against Kent State before heading down to Athens on Saturday to battle the Ohio Bobcats.
EASTERN MICHIGAN (5-2, 10-11): The surprising Eagles went into Buffalo and were stampeded by the Bulls 65-47 ending their three-game winning streak. Darnell Lampley led EMU with 14 points while Quintin Dailey came off the bench to score 10. Saturday, their 55-50 home win over Bowling Green coupled with Ball State’s loss at Ohio earlier in the day left the Eagles in first place in the Western Division. Lampley was the lone EMU player in double figures. EMU has a pair of road games this week beginning Wednesday night at Miami before heading east to face the Akron Zips.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS (1-6, 2-17): The Huskies made the long trek to Kent State on Wednesday night and were totally dominated by the Golden Flashes 90-56 -- their fifth loss in the last six games. Keith Gary led NIU in scoring with 15 points. Saturday at home NIU fell to Buffalo 74-59 in the first game without leading scorer Tim Toler who was dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules. Abdel Nader led the Huskies with 11 points as they sustained their fourth straight loss and fifth in the last six games. NIU plays host to Ohio on Wednesday before heading into Bowling Green on Saturday to face the Falcons
TOLEDO (2-5, 10-11): The Rockets picked up their first MAC road win of the season as they held on to defeat Miami in Oxford, 63-61. It was their first win at Millett Hall in 12 years and ended a 27-game MAC road losing streak. Rian Pearson led all scorers in the contest with 12 points and had 10 rebounds while Curtis Dennis added 17. Saturday, back at home, the Rockets felt the wrath of the Kent State Golden Flashes, losing 77-61. Pearson again led UT with 22 points, going 10-of-19 from the field. Curtis Dennis came off the bench to score 13. Pearson, a transfer from Wisconsin-Green Bat is third in the MAC behind Mavunga and Jones in both scoring (16.4) and rebounds (7.9). He was also named MAC West Player of the Week for averaging 22.5 pts and 9.5 reb per game. UT heads into Akron on Wednesday to battle the Zips before hosting Buffalo at Savage Arena on Saturday.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (4-3, 10-11): The Broncos made the long journey to Athens on Wednesday night and were defeated by the Bobcats, 56-51, as Austin Ritchie led WMU with 16 points. The Broncs returned to University Arena and improved their mark to 9-1 there with a 73-64 win over Miami Saturday as Shayne Whittington had a career day with 15 points and 11 rebounds. It was his first ever double-double as four WMU players scored in double figures. Flenard Whitfield had a career-best 22, part of a day that saw the Broncos hit 57.percent from the field in the victory. WMU plays host to Bowling Green on Wednesday before making the trek to Kent on Saturday to face the Golden Flashes
There you have it, your MAC men’s checkup for Week No. 9. The key games this week are Wednesday night in Buffalo (UB-BSU) and then on Saturday in Akron (AKR-EMU)
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