MAC Player of the Week:Â
Kenny Hayes, guard, Miami
The fifth-year senior guard led the RedHawks to wins over Western Michigan and Northern Illinois this past week. It started on Thursday night as Hayes’ jumper from with a second left gave Miami the win over Western Michigan.
Miami's Kenny Hayes
He finished with 16 points as he hit 8-of-15 from the field along with grabbing five rebounds and five assists. On Saturday, Hayes scored 22 points to lead the RedHawks to their fourth straight victory.
Saturday February 8th:
Kent State 68 Central Michigan 63:
The Golden Flashes (17-7, 8-2) continued their stranglehold on first place in the MAC and went 3-0 this past week capping it with a win over the Chippewas. Kent State was led by Justin Green’s 22 points as the Flashes had a key 13-0 second half run to put this game away.
Central Michigan (11-10, 6-3) was led by Jordan Bitzer, who scored 19 as he struggled finding the basket as he went 4-of-13 from long range. The Chippewas still maintain a half-game lead in the MAC West division.
Akron 75 Ball State 70 OT:
Akron (17-7, 7-3) got a huge three-pointer from junior Brett McKnight in overtime to lift the Zips over the Cardinals and keep them just a game out of first-place in the East division. Anthony Hitchens led the team with 17 points.
Ball State (12-10, 6-4) had their four-game win streak snapped but remain just a half-game out of first place in the West division. The Cardinals were led by Randy Davis and Malik Perry as they each had 15 points.
Miami 74 Northern Illinois 69:
Miami (10-13, 7-3) continued to stay red-hot as Kenny Hayes led the team with 22 points in the win over the Huskies. The RedHawks shot a season-high 63 percent from long-range.
For the Huskies (8-14, 4-6), they had the game tied at 57 put could not get over the hump. Darian Anderson led Northern Illinois with 16 points.
Western Michigan 65 Bowling Green 64:
Western Michigan (13-10, 5-5) got back to .500 in the MAC thanks to David Kool’s 23 points. The Broncos used a second half run of 16-2 to take the lead with four minutes to play and battled down the stretch for the win.
The Falcons (11-11, 4-6) were led by Scott Thomas and Otis Polk as they each had 14 points.
Eastern Michigan 70 Ohio 61:
Eastern Michigan (12-11, 4-6) rebounded from their loss to Kent State on Thursday as dominated the Bobcats. The Eagles got another double-double from Brandon Bowdry (17 points, 15 rebounds) and 31 points from Carlos Medlock.
Ohio’s (12-11, 3-6) season is officially circling the drain and will have to shock the world in the MAC tournament. Armon Bassett led the Bobcats with 19 points.
Buffalo 65 Toledo 59:
Buffalo (11-7, 4-3) relied on senior Rodney Pierce (16 points) along with three other players scoring in double-digits as the Bulls in a closer than expected win. Buffalo held Toledo scoreless in the final five minutes.
The Rockets (3-21, 0-10) lost their 14th straight game despite the 19 points by Jordan Dressler.
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MAC Standings:
West Division             Conf.  Overall
Central Michigan          6-3        11-10
Ball State                      6-4        12-10
Western Michigan        5-5        13-10
Eastern Michigan         4-6        12-11
Northern Illinois           4-6         8-14
Toledo                          0-10        3-21
East Division             Conf.    Overall
Kent State                    8-2        17-7
Akron                           7-3        17-7
Miami                           7-3       10-13
Buffalo                         5-5        12-9
Bowling Green             4-6       11-11
Ohio                             3-6       12-11
This week for Akron will travel to Mount Pleasant, MI to battle Central Michigan Tuesday and then return home for a Valentine’s Day matchup versus Ohio.
Kent State will host Ball State on Wednesday before traveling to Buffalo for a Saturday afternoon game.
Games To Watch:
Tuesday February 9th:
Akron at Central Michigan—MAC West leader Central Michigan will host Akron as they try to stay ahead of Ball State. For Akron, they need the win to keep just a game back of first-place Kent State.
Saturday February 6th:
Kent State at Buffalo— The Bulls are looking to avenge an earlier spanking at the hands of Kent State and prove that they are still a legitimate team in the East division. For Kent State, they are trying to stay hot and to continue their domination of the MAC conference.