Kent ousted from MAC tourney; B.G., Buffalo, Ball St. in semifinals

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLEVELAND — Max Boudreau scored 13 points and Calvin Betts had 11 points and 18 rebounds to lead Buffalo to a 65-62 win over Kent State in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament Thursday.

Buffalo (20-10) took the lead for good, 54-53, on Mitchell Watt’s layup with 5:39 to play, and the Bulls held on with free throw shooting.

Kent State’s Al Fisher was 2-of-14 from the field, scoring just nine points. Chris Singletary, returning from a one-game suspension, scored 13 points for the Golden Flashes but fouled out with 4:37 remaining.

Tryee Evans scored 11 points and Jordan Mincy added 10 for Kent State (19-14), which couldn’t extend its 10-year streak of 20-win seasons.

Bowling Green 74, Ohio 61

Senior Nate Miller tied his career-high with 22 points for top-seeded Bowling Green.

Miller made 9-of-11 shots from the field for the Falcons (19-12), who shot a season-best 61 percent from the floor and advanced to the semis for the first time since 2002. Miller added 10 rebounds.

Bowling Green, co-champions of the MAC’s East division, is a No. 1 seed for just the second time.

Jerome Tillman scored 15 points for Ohio, and teammate Justin Orr, whose uncle, Louis, coaches Bowling Green, made three 3-pointers and scored 11.

The ninth-seeded Bobcats (15-17) got as close as 10 on a few occasions, but every time Ohio made a run, the Falcons countered with one of their own.

Bowling Green will play the Akron-Miami winner today.

Ball St. 64, Cent. Michigan 61, OT

Laron Frazier’s jumper with 1:53 left in overtime put Ball State ahead for good.

Brandon Lampley followed with a jumper and Frazier added two free throws to give Ball State (14-16) a 64-59 lead.

Central Michigan’s Jacolby Hardiman scored with 3.4 seconds remaining, but Jordan Bitzer’s 3-point try hit off the glass as time ran out.

Marcus Van’s basket gave Central Michigan (12-19) an apparent win in regulation, but officials reviewed the play and ruled it came after the shot clock expired.

Frazier finished with 22 points and Jarrod Jones had 20 for the Cardinals.

Bitzer scored 18 points and Marcus Van had 13 for Central.