:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45867664/usa-today-6081468.0.jpg)
Marquisha Harris and A.J. Johnson both scored in double figures and helped the Western Michigan Broncos (20-11) defeat the Central Michigan Chippewas (13-18), 8 and cruise into a quarterfinal date with the fourth-seeded Buffalo Bulls tomorrow.
The loss ends the season for Central Michigan, who brought back senior Crystal Bradford coming into the season. Bradford has been out in recent games, and did not play in either of CMU's tourney games. The Chips hung in the game for the first few minutes, and at one point they held a 13-12 lead that was quickly wiped out by a 16-0 Central Michigan run in the latter part of the second half.
Even after being down by as many as 18 in second half, the ninth-seeded Chips were able cut the WMU lead down to seven, at 59-52. Two quick baskets by the Broncos followed, putting the lead back at 11 going into the 8:00 media timeout.
For the next few minutes, the teams would trade scores and the WMU lead would steady at 9-13 points. In the end, Central couldn't quite do enough to pull the game back within a score or two to make things interesting.
With the victory, Western Michigan will advance to play Buffalo tomorrow at noon. Central Michigan finishes the 2014-15 season at 13-19.
Game Leaders
| Player | Western Michigan | Central Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| Points | M. Harris (17) | K. Tamm (20) |
| Rebounds | M. Woods and M. Harris (9) | L. Jones (12) |
| Assists | A. Morton (6) | D. Turner (9) |
| Blocks | Three Players (2) | Three Players (1) |
| Steals | M. Shipman (3) | D. Turner (3) |