Mid-American Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 2 Western Michigan led from start to finish in beating No. 7 Eastern Michigan 70-61. The Broncos built a 16-point first-half lead, and Eastern Michigan whittled it down to three in the second half before Western Michigan pulled away in the final 10 minutes. Sophomore guard David Kool led the Broncos with 24 points.
No. 3 Akron weathered an early three-point barrage from No. 6 Central Michigan to win 81-60. The Chippewas hit six straight threes to open the game with an 18-13 led, but the Zips did not allow them to hit another three-pointer for the rest of the game. Senior forward Jeremiah Wood led Akron with 17 points. The Zips will play Western Michigan in the semifinals.
No. 1 Kent State manhandled No. 8 Toledo 77-57 to move into the semifinals. Senior forward Mike Scott led the Golden Flashes with 23 points as Kent State avenged a tough 59-56 loss at Toledo earlier in the season. Kent State might have done enough to lock up an NCAA Tournament bid, but bubble teams would prefer the Golden Flashes to go ahead and win the MAC automatic bid.
No. 5 Miami, Ohio, provided the only upset of the day in a 74-61 against No. 4 Ohio, but the RedHawks probably should have been considered the favorite after they won both regular-season meetings with the Bobcats. Junior swingman Michael Bramos led Miami with 23 points, helping compensate for an off night from scoring leader Tim Pollitz, who had only four points. The RedHawks will play Kent State in the semifinals.[3/13/08]
