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The 2019 MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game is all set. #2 Ohio Bobcats will take on then #4 Buffalo Bulls at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. Here bare brief recaps from today’s action.
Buffalo Bulls 82, Central Michigan Chippewas, 77
They say big players step-up on the big stage. That’s exactly what happened for Buffalo in their quarterfinal match-up with Central Michigan on Friday morning at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
All-MAC selections Cierra Dillard and Summer Hemphill powered the Bulls offense with 30 and 24 points respectively. Hemphill was very efficient going 12 of 18 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds.
Miami had the lead for most of the first half before the Bulls got going in the second half. Buffalo built a 14-point lead with just 1:04 left in the third quarter. It appeared the Bulls would put this one away early.
Then, the Chippewas went on a 17-2 run and actually held a 70-66 lead with just five minutes to play. Then Dillard, Hemphill and their teammates took over. The Bulls’ Hanna Hall hit a big 3-pointer late, as well as some pressure free throws to ice the game for the Bulls.
Reyna Frost and Presley Hudson each had 21 points apiece for Central Michigan. The Chips came into the tournament as the number one seed and finish the year 25-7. They will now wait to hear where they will be playing this postseason.
Ohio Bobcats 74, Miami Redhawks 48
The Ohio Bobcats took control of the day’s second MAC women’s semifinal game from the outset and never looked back. After the two teams had split two evenly played gamers during the regular season, nobody was expecting a 26-point blowout by the Bobcats. And it really wasn’t that close.
Cece Hooks had 16 points for the Bobcats. Erica Johnson (18), Amani Burke (12) and Gabby Burris (10) also scored in double figures for Ohio.
The story for Miami was simply poor shooting. The Redhawks shot just 31% for the game, including 3 of 20 from three point. All-MAC First Team selection, Lauren Dickerson had an off day for Miami. She was 2 of 20 from the field and finished with just five points. Kendall McCoy led Miami in scoring with 10 points.
Ohio is now 27-4 on the year and advance to the MAC Women’s Championship Game tomorrow morning. Miami is now 23-8 on the year and will wait to see if, and where, it will play postseason basketball.