Scores around the Mid-American Conference, including Ohio's win against Northern Illinois.
CLEVELAND — The men’s Mid-American Conference Tournament is in full bloom.
Here are scores from around the conference and how they affect No. 2 seed Ohio.
No. 1 Akron 65, No. 8 Eastern Michigan 63
Eastern Michigan almost upset the top seeded Akron Thursday after leading by 10 points late in the second half.
Akron eventually sealed the win late after Antino Jackson made a 3-pointer to advance the Zips to the semifinal round.
Jackson finished with 11 points, Reggie McAdams had 20 and MAC Sixth-man of the Year Isaiah Johnson added 19.
MAC Freshman of the Year James Thompson IV garnered 15 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
“I knew it was coming, we had to capitalize when we had the opportunity to score the ball back, and we didn't do that, that's why they came out on top,” Thompson IV said.
Akron (24-7) received a first-round bye. Eastern Michigan (18-15) was coming off a 69-60 win against No. 9 Toledo Monday.
No. 12 Bowling Green 62, No. 4 Central Michigan 59
Antwon Lillard hit a 3-pointer with 12.8 seconds left to play in regulation to give Bowling Green its second-straight upset in the MAC Tournament.
Lillard finished with 26 points on 5-8 3-point shooting. Demajeo Wiggins added 10 points for the Falcons.
Chris Fowler had 16 points and Braylon Rayson notched 13 points for the Chippewas (17-14).
“Yeah, I always dream about hitting great shots like this,” Fowler said. “Who wouldn't as a basketball player? Especially in my hometown. It was a big shot. I was excited, but I knew the game wasn't over.”
Bowling Green (15-17) upset No. 5 Kent State in the MAC opener, 70-69, and will play Akron Friday at 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Ohio 79, No. 7 Northern Illinois 62
In the first runaway game of the tournament, Antonio Campbell and Jaaron Simmons dominated Northern Illinois to advance to the semifinal round Friday night.
Campbell had 21 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Simmons had 16 points and 11 assists.
Northern Illinois was led by Marshawn Wilson, who had 22 points on 57 percent shooting.
The Bobcats only trailed for 16 seconds.
“Puppies, walks in the park, March wins, those are all of my favorite things,” Ohio coach Saul Phillips said. “We survived. We advanced. I thought the biggest takeaway for me is I thought we came out, and we looked poised. We looked poised on the tournament stage.”
Ohio will play Buffalo Friday at 9 p.m.
No. 3 Buffalo 94, No. 11 Miami 81
Buffalo looks to repeat as MAC Champions after defeating Miami Thursday night and advancing to the semifinals.
The Bulls shot 50 percent from the field (30-60) and led 37-31 after the first half.
Conner Willie led the Bulls in scoring with 25 points. The Bulls had four other players score in double-digits.
Dion Wade led the Redhawks (13-20) with 16 points and two steals. Miami shot just 37 percent from the field.
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“I thought our effort was good,” Buffalo coach Nate Oats said. “I thought we did a lot better job attacking their zones. They started the switching zones, and they switched the defenses up."
Buffalo lost to Ohio twice this season, including a 103-96 overtime loss.
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