Central Michigan Takes Down Kent State, No. 18 Buffalo Up Next
CLEVELAND (AP) — CMU to face defending conference champs.
Larry Austin Jr. scored 23 points and Central Michigan pulled away midway through the second half and hung on for an 89-81 win over Kent State on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament, setting up a matchup against No. 18 Buffalo.
Pure. Emotion.
— #MACtion (@MACSports) March 14, 2019
The Chippewas will take on Buffalo in the MAC Semifinals tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. ????: @CBSSportsNet #FireUpChips #MACtion pic.twitter.com/LX2XXf6kYg
The fifth-seeded Chippewas (23-10) will face the defending champion Bulls (29-3) in Friday's first semifinal. Central Michigan lost by 14 in its only meeting with Buffalo during the regular season.
Shawn Roundtree Jr. scored 20 for Central Michigan, which used a 20-2 run to open a 71-54 lead with 7:17 remaining.
Kent State crawled back within 79-72 on a 3-pointer by Antonio Williams with 2:32 left. However, the Chippewas took care of the ball and made their free throws down the stretch.
Chippewa Men Advance, Face Top-Seeded Buffalo On Friday Night https://t.co/ywt2LovYY5
— CMU Men's Basketball (@CMUMensBBall) March 15, 2019
Philip Whittington scored 23 with 14 rebounds and Jaylin Walker 19 with 11 boards to lead the Golden Flashes (22-10). Walker, who made just 4 of 13 3-pointers, returned after being suspended for Kent State's final regular-season game.
Dallas Morgan made two of his four 3-pointers during Central Michigan's big second-half spurt.
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