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The fifth-seeded Ohio Bobcats knocked off bottom-seeded Eastern Michigan 63-49 to clinch a spot in the Mid-American Conference quarterfinals.
The Ohio Bobcats (22-8) are going to Cleveland to play fourth-seeded Northern Illinois despite allowing the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-25) to stay in the game throughout.
In the first quarter, Eastern Michigan at one point grabbed a 17-13, but Ohio would respond, and for the most part, kept a 2-5 point lead throughout the course of the game with the Eagles always right behind.
However, when up 49-44, Ohio finished the game on a 14-5 run to take the win 63-49 despite struggling to put away the Eagles.
Quiera Lampkins lead all scorers with 30 points, while Eastern Michigan was led by Sasha Dailey, who chipped in 22. No other scorers on either side reached double digits.
Both sides shot an abysmal 4-for-17 from three-pointers, and rebounding largely kept Eastern in the game. The Eagles out rebounded the Bobcats 39-29, including 16-7 on the offensive glass.
Ohio’s game with NIU starts at 2:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.