MAC Sports Blog by VanDelay Sports

The 2012 MAC Tournament Championship Game will tip off tonight at 8 pm featuring a rematch of the 2010 MAC Championship as the #1 Akron Zips face the #3 Ohio Bobcats. Both teams completed a 3-0 sweep of the semifinal opponents with Akron topping Kent State and Ohio knocking off Buffalo to earn the Saturday night, ESPN2 televised contest. Akron enters as the #1 seed at 22-10, 13-3 MAC and RPI #52 while Ohio, the #3 seed in the Tournament is 26-7, 11-5 MAC, RPI #60. The winner will earn a berth in the 2012 NCAA Tournament with Joe Lunardi projecting yesterday the MAC Champion as a #14 seed facing #3 Michigan and playing in Columbus, Ohio. VanDelay Sports will be Tweeting live court side from the MAC Tournament. Visit us online and check out the MAC Tournament scores on VanDelaySports.com and follow us on Twitter @VanDelaySports.

Ohio is your winner in a thriller 64-63 and heads to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. DJ Cooper (Ohio) gets the MAC Tournament MVP award with Nick Kellogg (Ohio), Alex Abreu (Akron), Justin Greene (Kent State) and Mitchell Watt (Buffalo) joining him on the All-MAC Tournament team.

VanDelay Sports is a MAC sports fan site covering MAC football & basketball online at VanDelaySports.com since 2000. A member of the MAC News Media Association, fans can follow on Twitter @VanDelaySports.

#2 Buffalo faces #3 Ohio in the nightcap of two Friday night games in the 2012 MAC Tournament on SportsTime Ohio. VanDelay Sports will be Tweeting live court side from the MAC Tournament. Visit us online and check out the MAC Tournament scores on VanDelaySports.com and follow us on Twitter @VanDelaySports.

Ohio tops Buffalo 77-74 holding on despite Buffalo having several chances in the final 30 seconds to tie to game.

All-MAC Tournament Team Watch: Mitchell Watt is a beast. He gets my vote for the All-MAC Tournament team no matter how tomorrow plays out. DJ Cooper is the leading guy for Ohio but Keely and Baltic could get votes with big games and an Ohio win on Saturday night.

#1 Akron faces #4 Kent State in the first of two Friday night games in the 2012 MAC Tournament on SportsTime Ohio. VanDelay Sports will be Tweeting live court side from the MAC Tournament. Visit us online and check out the MAC Tournament scores on VanDelaySports.com and follow us on Twitter @VanDelaySports.

Akron is your winner 78-74 as they hold on for the win despite a run by Kent State in the closing minute.

All-MAC Tournament Team Watch: Nick Cvetinovic is the player of the game with 15 points, 4 boards but another solid game from Justin Greene of Kent State keeps him in the running for one of the 5 All-MAC Tournament Team spots. Greene finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds after leading Kent to victory last night. Michael Porrini and Randall Holt also played major rolls in keeping Kent in the game with Porrini having a nice 11 point, 6 rebound, 9 assist night. Akron’s standard balanced attack saw Alex Abreu score 13 points with 4 assists and 2 steals and Zeke Marshall finish with 8 points and 8 rebounds.

#3 Ohio faces #7 Toledo in the nightcap of two Thursday night games in the 2012 MAC Tournament on SportsTime Ohio. VanDelay Sports will provide a live in-game blog while also Tweeting live court side from the MAC Tournament. Visit us online and check out the MAC Tournament scores on VanDelaySports.com and follow us on Twitter @VanDelaySports.

Keep up with us on Twitter @VanDelaySports as technical difficulties are making the live blog rather difficult to maintain efficiently.

All-MAC Tournament Team Watch: With Baltic having a rough night offensively in Ohio’s 65-57 win, the lone Ohio player worth of mention thus far is DJ Cooper. A hot game by anyone can change that tomorrow night, but keep an eye on Cooper for now.

#4 Kent State faces #8 Western Michigan in the first of two Thursday night games in the 2012 MAC Tournament on SportsTime Ohio. VanDelay Sports will provide a live in-game blog while also Tweeting live court side from the MAC Tournament. Visit us online and check out the MAC Tournament scores on VanDelaySports.com and follow us on Twitter @VanDelaySports.

Probable starters for Kent State: Porrini, Holt, Guyton, Manns and Greene. probable starters for WMU: Ward, Douglas, Pokley, Whitfield and Stainbrook.

13-6 Kent State leads at the first media timeout with Greene leading with 4 points. Poring dives into the crowd and comes up lame with the trainers seemingly focused on his right hamstring. As a big piece of the Kent State puzzle he’d be a huge loss if he cannot continue. At the second media time out at 10:46 Kent leads 22-14. After the timeout Porrini is back on the court as we go under the 10 minute mark. With 3 pts and 3 ast in 6 minutes he is showing his value to the team. Just under 9 minutes and Demitrius Ward picks up his second foul.

35-30 is our halftime score. Due to technical difficulties please follow @VanDelaySports on Twitter for updates. Moments after tweeting that WMU’s Matt Stainbrook was getting out hustled on both ends of the court, he gets called for a ridiculous Flagrant 2 leading to his ejection. Objectively speaking this is a terrible call and with under 8 minutes to play and Kent State up 19 this game is over.

WMU makes a ridiculous comeback to cut the lead to as little as 3 and Kent holds on, almost miraculously. Kent tried to give this one away and continued to shoot themselves in the foot as they survive and advance 76-72. Kent faces Akron at 7 on Friday night in the semifinals.

All-MAC Tournament Team Watch: With Kent advancing it seems safe to say none of the WMU players will make the All-MAC Tournament team. Not a single player stood out statistically. From Kent State Justin Greene scored 23 with 9 boards and 4 assists while Michael Porrini returned from in-game injury to score 10 with 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

The MAC men’s basketball tournament may have a new format in 2012, but that does not take anything away from the prize on the line - a berth into the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Two team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2012 MAC Tournament as both Toledo and Western Michigan both advanced in Cleveland on Wednesday night. The seeding held true in this round following Central Michigan and Northern Illinois’ opening round upsets, as #8 WMU earns a match-up with #4 Kent State and #7 Toledo will face #3 Ohio in the nightcap. #1 Akron and #2 Buffalo await the winners of the Thursday games with the NCAA Tournament dream in the backs of each player’s head.

#7 Western Michigan topped #12 Northern Illinois with ease in a 71-54 blowout to start the night on SportsTime Ohio. Mike Douglas paced the Broncos with 19 points and Flenard Whitfield’s foul trouble may be a blessing in disguise as he should remain fairly fresh for the game with Kent State after playing just 20 minutes due to foul trouble.

#7 Toledo improved to 18-15 on the year as Rian Pearson’s 20 points led all players in scoring en route to a 75-72 win over #11 seed Central Michigan. The Rockets held off CMU’s comeback bid and will face #3 Ohio in Thursday’s late game as they look to top the Bobcats (24-7) for the second time this season.

All-MAC Tournament Team Watch: Rian Pearson had 20 points, 15 boards and 2 steals to lead Toledo to the win after 21 pts, 13 reb and 2 steals against Miami. Outside of falling on his face against Ohio he may likely have a spot on the 2012 All-MAC Tournament Team.

VanDelay Sports is a MAC sports fan site covering MAC football & basketball online at VanDelaySports.com since 2000. A member of the MAC News Media Association, fans can follow on Twitter @VanDelaySports.

The 2011 MAC Tournament Championship was set last night when #1 Kent State topped #4 Ball State and #6 Akron defeated #2 Western Michigan making it an all-Ohio final in Cleveland. To add to the good fortune, the Mid-American Conference office had to be happy that the two teams most geographically close to Cleveland are playing in tonight’s title game.

Kent State comes in the #1 seed at 23-10 (12-4 MAC) and an RPI of #71 while rival Akron is the #6 seed at 22-12 (9-7) with a RPI of #117. The two teams played each other twice in the regular season with Akron winning their home game 65-62 on January 8th and Kent State winning in Kent on March 4th by a score of 79-68. Kent State has had to knock off #8 Buffalo and #4 Ball State to get here while Akron defeated #11 Eastern Michigan, #3 Miami and #2 Western Michigan.

Tonight’s contest tips off at 6 pm ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with a local Cleveland radio broadcast on ESPN 850. Fans can follow @VanDelaySports on Twitter for additional updates on the 2011 MAC Tournament.

The opening tip-off goes to Kent and we are underway. Kent strikes first with a 3-ball by Randal Holt. The refs are letting them play early as Kent State now leads 5-0. Cvetinovic answers before a 3-ball by Porrini. Porrini, my Player of the Tournament, then gets a steal and assist, 10-2. It’s 12-2 as Manns scores again and Akron calls a 30 second timeout. Back from the TO and a Kent block send the ball into the hands of a fan in front of me in the courtside seats and we have reached our first media timeout.

15:54 - Kent starting strong again tonight now leads 14-3. After several empty possessions Sherman picks up a foul and McNees nails a 3-ball shortly thereafter. Then the fans sitting courtside block my view, yet again, and something happened, I just do not know what. Ahh, a Kent 30-second TO with 11:47 to play in the half. McNees another 3-ball and it is 14-9 with 11:02 left.

Media Timeout - Kent’s student section just got loud! The t-shirt cannon came within distance and the fans seemed awake. About time.

11:02 - After 2 Kent FTs from Holt it is 16-9 before Bardo scores for Akron. Akron gets it back and McNees scores and is fouled, but misses the FT. We have a 18-15 Kent lead at the media timeout.

Kent State’s dance team just performed. Compared to the rest of the conference they’re middle of the pack at best. I’ll give them a C, and Cs earn degrees…

Stats - Both teams shooting 6-18 early. 6-6 points in the paint. Porrini has 3-3-3 (pts, reb, ast).

7:44 - McKnight for 3 and it is 22-20 after Kent FTs. Greene with the hook shot and the big man has 4 points. Abreu grabs a loose ball and improvises which results in a bucket and it is 24-22 Kent. A foul on Marshall leads the Kent students to chant “you can’t do that” which is so faint I could barely tell what they were saying. After Akron ties the game Sherman answers, but Marshall knots it at 26 with less than 3 to play in the half. Guyton nails a jumper and Abreu walks but it is not called. However after 3-4 steps and a layup attempt, Marshall touches the rim to wave off a definite hoop. Media timeout is here with Kent leading 28-26.

Akron’s dance team performing now and another uninteresting performance from a dance team tonight. Sorry, Miami already got my “best of the tournament” award on Thursday and these two are nowhere close.

Stats - McNees the top scorer in the game with 8 and Abreu providing an offensive spark for Akron on the past few possessions with 3 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast.

2:22 - Abreu fouled hits 1-2 for a 28-27 game before Guyton nails a 3-ball, but McNees answers with a 3 of his own. Now 31-30 we are inside of a minute in the half. Cvetinovic finds McNees for a heavily-contested 3-ball in the corner in front of us and he drills it for an Akron lead. Kent misses their final shot of the half and it’s 33-31 at the half.

Halftime - Akron 33 - Kent State 31

Halftime Hamster Race - The fans have to slalom through the cheerleaders. Brooke from Kent State is your winner.

Halftime Stats - McNees the high scorer with 14, McKnight with 7 for Akron and Guyton leads Kent with 7. Both teams have 7 players who have scored already. Akron shooting 50% from the field to Kent’s 40.7%. Akron’s bench winning the battle of the benches 15-9.

Halftime Dance Team Performances - Neither team looks good tonight. Slight edge to Kent State.

Crowd - Solid crowd tonight. Jeff @ MACReportOnline.com and I were guessing around 9,000 before the game, but that was a pregame estimate. From panning the crowd I would say something like 7,500 - 8,000, but I hope I am underestimating things…

2nd Half - Porrini ties it at 35 before Greene gets the foul to send Marshall to the line for a 3-point play and he hits. Bodies flying around as the refs are letting them play in the early going of the second half. Manns with a big dunk and Kent has tied it up at 38. Marshall with an awesome block off the glass leading to a fast break and foul on Kent on the other end. free throws when we return from the media timeout.

Abreu and Guyton trade 3-balls as Akron leads 44-43 with 11:35 left in the game.

Stats - McNees with 14 the high scorer, Abreu has 9 for Akron. Kent paced by Guyton’s 10 and 8 for Greene.

11:35 - Roberts from the corner for a 47-45 lead for Akron. Roberts scores his first points of the night on only his second shot. Greene scores to tie it and we have a media timeout.

7:47 - Roberts scores two more hoops and Kent is forced to call a timeout with Akron leading 54-48. Kent with 5 straight after the TO and Akron is forced to use a 30 second TO at 54-53.

58-56 Akron leads with 2:10 to play and my All-MAC Tournament team is in place. I’m not in love with my picks at all as Akron’s annual balanced attack once again leads to some tough decisions.

Back to the game, Akron can’t score and Roberts gets the foul on the other end sending Guyton to the line. Clank. Clank. Guyton misses a pair and McKnight gets the rebound and is fouled by Greene. A wasted opportunity by Kent, can Akron capitalize? Nope. McKnight with an air ball on the FT attempt. Greene gets the ball in the post and SWAT! Little Steve McNees swats it out of bounds, but Sherman scores seconds later to tie the game at 58. On Akron’s side of the ball Marshall gets an offensive rebound and with a foul on Greene will head back to the line.

Poor free throw shooting today as Kent is 10-19 and Akron 4-9 prior to Marshall’s trip to the line. Zeke hits 1-2 and it is 59-58 with under a minute to play. Feed in to Greene and McNees gets whistled on a bad call. Green at the line ties it at 59-59 with 42.0 seconds left and has another shot. Greene misses the second and Guyton gets the board in a tied game. Geno Ford wants a timeout.

32.0 seconds - regulation - Here we go. Porrini dribbling out the clock gives it up and Kent takes a terrible shot. Roberts scores his first points of the night on only his second shot. McNees tries to dribble up the court but loses the ball and Kent nearly gets a good look, but time runs out and we have overtime.

End of Regulation - Kent State 59 - Akron 59

Overtime - Fitting that we have OT between these two teams. You know, Kent State and Akron are just 14 miles apart and they do not like each other. So says the TV announcers. Kent grad Steve Urcheck texts in to tell us Greene’s legs are tired. He hasn’t been great tonight, but I think Greene will still have a major impact on this one.

Holt nails a 3-ball to open OT scoring and Kent leads 62-59. Greene whistled for foul #5 as Marshall heads to the line. Greene obviously disappointed. Marshall hits 1 of 2 and is 3-6 at the line tonight. A pass to Manns down low sees Marshall get his 6th block of the night before Manns gets it back and draws the foul and hits 1 of 2. 63-60 Kent leads and Dambrot wants a TO with 3:11 to play in the first OT.

3:11, OT 1 - McKnight with a fade-away jumper and the lead for Kent is one. Sherman takes two 3-point shots from the corner in front of me and looks like a middle school kid shooting. UGLY. Marshall gets a couple of blocks and a rebound and Akron gets the ball back in a 63-62 game with 1:17 to play.

1:17 - Akron ball with Kent up a point, Roberts scores inside and Akron is up 64-63. Geno calls a TO and may be considering a 2 for 1 with 56 seconds left. Guyton with a long jumper is good and Kent is back on top.

34.0 seconds, OT 1 - Kent leads 65-64, Akron ball. The shot clock reads 31 seconds, the game clock 34.0 seconds. Both teams are in the double bonus and neither has a timeout left. McNees loses the ball momentarily and finds McKnight under the hoop who is fouled by Porrini. Great job by the Kent fans on getting loud, but McKnight makes the first for the tie. FT #2 is good with 12.8 seconds left, Kent ball. Kent to the lane and Marshall gets a big block, Kent cannot get a good shot off and Akron is your winner.

Final Score - Akron 66 - Kent State 65 - OT

Official Attendance - 8,926

The final game of the night will feature the #1 Kent State Golden Flashes against the #4 Ball State Cardinals tipping off around 9:55 pm ET. Kent State comes in the top seed at 22-10 (12-4 MAC) and topped #8 Buffalo in the quarterfinals 73-62. Kent is ranked #79 in the RPI, the only MAC team in the RPI Top 100. Ball State defeated #5 Ohio in the late game last night by a 76-73 score and is 19-12 (10-6) and ranked #164 in the RPI. Ball State has the most MAC Tournament titles in MAC history with seven, but the Cardinals have not won a MAC title since 2000.

Kent State is off to a hot start but Ball State is not backing down as Kent leads 17-13 after nearly 5 and a half minutes.

14:32 - Ball State hits a pair of free throws then Perry ties it with a layup. Sherman drives for Kent and gets whistled for the charge. At the 11:50 media timeout it’s 21-21.

Quite an offensive performance by both teams as we’re under 9 minutes to play with Ball State up 30-29. This looks like a game that ends in the 70s or 80s… Ball State now 11-16 from the floor as Kent gets a 3-ball and is back on top 32-30 @ 7:57 in the half.

Porrini’s put back gives Kent a 36-30 lead as the Flashes look to open up some breathing room, but Ball State does not seem interested in letting this one get away. Greene gets the 3-point play and Kent is now up 41-34, but Ball State draws a foul on the other end as Perry goes to the line where he makes 1 of 2. Ball State calls the TO after Kent scores a fast break hoop to make it 43-35 Kent State with 3:58 to play.

Kent leads 48-41 after a Ball State triple and the Cardinals get the ball back after a Kent turnover. Ball State scores to make it a 5 point Kent lead and the Flashes turn it over again with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Halftime - Kent State 48 - Ball State 43

Kent State leads by 7 as the media timeout is here. 15:56 left to play and the fast-paced Golden Flashes are keeping the pressure on Ball State. Kent leads by 4 with Ball State at the line and with 1-2 FTs it’s 54-51, but Porrini nails a 3-ball and it’s back to a 6 point game. Kent continues to lack the ability to put the Cardinals away and with a 4-point lead the Flashes turn it over again with less than 13 minutes to play.

Stats - Porrini having a good game - 10 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast

Under 12 minutes to play and Kent leads 59-53, but Greene picks up the offensive foul, his 3rd of the game. Bond scores and the lead is just four. Not a comfortable feeling if you are rooting for Kent State as they cannot put the Cardinals away. Porrini gets a rebound and on the other end draws a foul and heads to the line. Porrini hits 1 of 2 and Jones answers to cut it to a 3 point lead. Davis with a steal and hoop and it’s 60-59.

Guyton hits a floater to push the lead back out to 3 points and The Q seems way too quiet with a 3-point game and a ton of Kent fans in attendance.

Under 8 minutes to play and Guyton turns it over and Ball State’s Jarrod Jones heads to the line after a offensive rebound and hits 2-2 FTs. 62-61 Kent leads and the fans seem lame still. Kent turnover and BSU can take the lead with a score. Kent gets it back and Porrini finds Sherman with a sweet pass and the Flashes are back up 3. Now less than 6 to play and Porrini gets a big block but a charge on Kent State infuriates Geno Ford. Ball State’s Berry misses a 3-ball and Porrini continues his big night drawing the foul. He hits 1-2 and it is 65-61 with under 5 minutes to play, but Jones puts it in, 65-63. Greene on the other end for Kent, 67-63 with 4 minutes left. Sherman with the steal and layup and Kent State is now up 69-63 as Ball State calls a timeout with 3:43 to play.

Just over 2 minutes to play and Kent leads 71-65 and Porrini gathers a board for Kent. Sherman drives to the hoop and Ball State made it easy for him as the lead is 8. Davis no good from long range and Ball State starts the barrage of fouls at the 1:08 mark, down 8. Now 74-65, Ball State misses another 3-ball and Porrini gets another rebound. Porrini hits them both and the lead is 11 at 76-65. A BSU turnover gives Kent and easy bucket to make it 78-65, but Davis nails a 3-ball making it 78-68 with 29.0 seconds left in the game.

Final Score - Kent State 79 - Ball State 68

#1 Kent State advances to the Championship game to face their rivals, the #6 Akron Zips.

Follow @VanDelaySports on Twitter for additional updates on the 2011 MAC Tournament.

The 2011 MAC Tournament semifinals will tip-off at 7 pm ET tonight from The Q in Cleveland, Ohio tonight as #2 Western Michigan takes on the #6 seed Akron Zips.

Western Michigan draws first blood as Whitfield scores a put-back. McNees and Roberts start raining 3-balls and Akron leads 9-6 early before a Marshall dunk and Akron scores 5 straight to take a 11-6 lead. Subs bring Juwon Howard, Jr. for WMU and Brett McKnight for Akron. A foul on Akron sends Whitfield to the line where he hits one and Abreu dunks on the other end. WMU misses on their end and Roberts hits a long two for a 15-7 lead. At the first media timeout it’s Akron 15 - Western Michigan 7.

Respect. Diversity. Integrity. Teamwork. Service. Perseverance. These values guide the U.S. Marines. Oops, I mean the Mid-American Conference.

Akron looking great early on with the hot-shooting. If they do this all night WMU has no chance, so the Broncos better dial up the defense.

14:50 - Western scores the first hoop after the TO and it’s 15-10. Diggs at the line for Akron after the steal where he hits 1-2. More Akron hot shooting and defense with a Marshall block leading to a 3-point play for Diggs and Akron leads 23-10 with 12:38 to play in the half. Now 9-13 from the floor, Akron leads 23-10 with 11:54 in the half.

11:54 - After Howard scores for WMU, Diggs drills a 3-ball for a 26-12 lead. WMU answers scoring 5 straight to cut the lead to 9 as Howard and Whitfield miss opportunities down low to cut into the lead even more. Media timeout and it remains Akron 26, WMU 17.

The scoring has slowed down considerably as with 5:25 to play Akron leads 30-18. Bardo misses two at the line with a shooting form that makes Division III high school bench warmers feel good about themselves. It’s a good thing he is tall. McClanahan from deep makes it 33-18 and WMU calls a TO.

While WMU scores the last bucket of the half, the Akron Zips’ hot-shooting is the story of the first half. Akron has shot over 50% from the field for a 41-27 lead.

Halftime - Akron 41 - Western Michigan 27

Western scores first in the second half making it 41-29 but Cvetinovic answers. Douglas then comes back and hits a 3 for WMU and it is 43-32. A few possession later after a WMU steal Ward scores on the other end and the foul cutting the lead to 9. The FT is no good as it stays 45-36 Akron. Diggs answers then WMU travels and Akron will have the ball up 47-36 with 15:46 to play.

Marshall assists a Cvetinovic layup to make it 51-38 Akron, but on the other end Zeke Marshall gets whistled for his 4th foul with 13:00 left on the clock. It appeared that Marshall had all ball which I am sure has Mr. McKnight screaming “integrity of the game, ref!” It’s 56-42 with 11:13 to play and we have a media timeout.

Akron continues to control this game up 61-48 after a WMU hoop. With 6:46 to play we have a media timeout.

WMU needs to make a run. Hawkins calls a timeout down 11 at 63-52 with just over 5 minutes to play. Akron runs a little clock and Roberts hits a nice jumper. After some sloppy play, WMU keeps the ball down 13 with 4:38 left. Ward gets the lay in and a Akron turnover gives WMU life. Howard can’t finish but Whitfield crashes the offensive board and is fouled. At the line Whitfield hits 1 of 2 and it is 65-55 and WMU gets the ball back after the media timeout.

3:52 - Ward scores making it 65-57 Akron as the crowds get louder. McNees gets inside and answers among the trees, back to a 10-point lead then Diggs fouls out with 3:04 to play. Two FTs and it’s back to 8 points between the two teams. Mcknight air ball and WMU gets it back then draws a foul on the offensive end. Ward gets the roll on the first FT, swish on the second.2:15 to play and Akron throws it away under pressure. Ward no good, gets the rebound then tied up, but WMU keeps it on the possession arrow. 1:59 left.

1:59 - Hawkins calls a timeout. Ward drives to the rim and gets fouled, back to the line where he is 6-9. Ward hits both and has 22 points, the score is 67-63 Akron, 1:54 to play. Akron uncomfortable with the WMU pressure, but McNees finds McClanahan for 3 and WMU misses a quick shot. Douglas then fouls McNees in what looks like an attempted punch and Douglas gets the T. WMU is done and the stupid play seals the deal here. Pure cheap shot by Douglas and he shows an immense amount of immaturity. I hope that Hawkins disciplines his player for this dirty play.

After the dust clears the end result is Akron winning. It is 74-63 as WMU misses and McNees is headed back to the line with 1:02 to play. A lot of possessions, a lot of missed shots followed by Akron free throws. WMU had a chance to cut it to 6 around the 40 second mark but missed their chance. It would not be a Akron MAC Tournament game without a ton of controversy and refs on video screens. Where’s Doug Penno when you need him? Stainbrook sets a moving pick up 11 with 35.6 seconds left and everyone watching this game live and on TV is annoyed as heck. End it already. Somehow WMU kept the ball and Stainbrook scores to make it 77-68. McClanahan hits 2 FT and it’s back to 11 point. A nice block by Zeke Marshall adds salt to the Bronco wound.

Final Score - Akron 79 - Western Michigan 68

Follow @VanDelaySports on Twitter for additional updates on the 2011 MAC Tournament.

The 2011 MAC Tournament quarterfinals continue with the final game of the night as #4 Ball State takes on #5 Ohio. The Cardinals 18-12 (10-6) are the RPI’s #177 team in the nation while the inconsistent Bobcats 18-14 (9-7 MAC) are #159 in the RPI. Ohio won the only match-up this year between the two, topping Ball State in Muncie.

Pregame - OU’s band enters dancing - fitting. You cannot question their enthusiasm and the crowd reaction they get. Several fans from Kent State are standing around watching the 110. Ball State’s band is one of the better ones I have heard today, on-par with Western Michigan, Buffalo & Akron, three that I thought were pretty impressive today.

The expected starting lineups are Cooper, Kellogg, Freeman, Baltic & Washington for OU and for Ball State it’s Perry, Davis, Scaife, Bond & Jones. Both teams have 2 seniors starting and Kellogg is the lone freshman starting tonight.

As the snow comes down outside The Q, inside we see Ball State control the tip to start the game. Early on it is 9-8 Ball State as we hit the first media timeout.

Berry drills a 3-ball for Ball State and it’s 15-8 Cardinals with 14:40 left in the half. Keely’s put back makes it 15-10 then he pulls down a board on the other end. A few empty possessions before Davis hits a 3-ball for Ball State. A Cooper carry stops the clock at 18-10 with 11:17 to play in the half.

Stats - Ohio outscoring Ball State 10-4 in the paint but hasn’t hit a jumper. OU has 4 turnovers to BSU’s 2, but no other stats really stand out yet.

11:17 - Foul on Hall as Jones scores the bucket and it’s 20-10 Ball State. DJ Cooper answers with a 3-ball for his first points of the night but Ball State comes back with a bucket, 22-13. Cooper skies for a rebound and it’s Ohio ball where Washington scores to cut the lead to 7. berry misses, Freeman board and pass to Cooper, back to Freeman from deep and bang, 22-18 Ball State’s lead is down to four. After a miss and Ohio rebound the Bobcats get it back with Washington scoring another layup to cut it to 2 at 22-20. A 10-2 run for Ohio.

7:41 - OU ties it with a Baltic basket and a Kellogg foul stops the clock for the media timeout with 6:52 to play in the half.

Stats - Ohio 16-8 advantage in the paint, and a 15-9 edge on the boards. Cooper for OU 3 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast.

6:52 - Ball State scores 7 straight and it’s 29-22 Cardinals with 4:14 left in the half.

Stats - Ball State 5-10 from deep, OU just 2-7. OU has yet to shoot a free throw.

3:34 - Freeman gets all ball but the call goes Ball State’s way. The OU fans are not high on Jerry Sauder. TJ Hall drives the the basket and is fouled by Jones putting him at the line for Ohio’s first free throws of the night. Hall hits a pair and it is 30-24. Cooper gets a steal and layup and Ohio is back within 4. Davis scores for BSU and on the other end Baltic draws a foul and heads to the line in a 32-26 game.

1:05 - Freeman’s 3-ball cuts it to 3 at 34-31 and Ball State gets Bond scores inside. Cooper called for the push off, his 2nd foul, and Ball State will likely take the final shot of the half up 36-31. Ball State’s final shot rims out and the Cardinals lead by 5 at the half.

Halftime - #4 Ball State 36 - #5 Ohio 31

Dance Teams - Ball State’s dance team is up first and they’re good, one of the better ones I have seen today. Ohio is up next and they’re good too, but neither is on par with Miami’s performances. Miami wins the 2011 MAC Tournament top dance team award.

The first score of the second half is a FT from Washington but he misses the second and it is 36-32. OU comes out playing solid D and the foul that sent Washington to the line was on Jones, his 3rd. Ohio ball and Cooper drives to the hoop and draws the foul. Cooper nails both FT and it’s 36-34 Ball State leading with 18 to play. After a BSU miss and Baltic rebound Cooper drives the lane and dishes to Washington who dunks it home and draws the foul. Now tied at 36, Washington will look to give Ohio the lead from the line when the timeout is over.

17:48 - Washington at the line and it’s good. 37-36 OU. Ball State scores two straight but Baltic finds Washington for another rim-rocker. 40-39 Ball State under 16 to play as Baltic shows some low post moves and puts the Bobcats back on top. Timeout on the floor with Ohio up 41-40.

Stats - Rebounds even. Points in the paint 24-22 Ohio. Both teams shooting about 40%. A very evenly-played game statistically.

14:46 - Cooper grabs the errant BSU pass and scores a layup, 43-40 Ohio, but on the other end a dumb foul on Ricardo Johnson puts Ball State at the line for 3 shots. Now 43-42 after hitting 2 of 3 from the line. Kamieniecki picks up foul #4 and Keely is at the line but misses the first and makes the second. 44-42 OU leads. We have a timeout on the ball going out of bounds as the OU fans are outraged at the lack of a foul call. They’re right, but it remains Ohio’s ball anyway.

The Ball State band busts out Lady Gaga’s Poker Face. Not bad.

Stats - Washington for Ohio has 14 points and 2 rebounds. Not sure why he isn’t on the boards more. Baltic has a double-double at 10 pts, 11 boards. Berry has 18 for Ball State.

11:18 - Hall hits a 3-ball to get play underway and Ohio has a 5-point lead, their largest of the game. With Ohio up 49-43 moments later, Scaife nails a 3-ball to cut the lead to 3 again. Cooper at the line hits 1-2 and the teams trade possessions before Keely is whistled for a foul, his second, and we have a media timeout with Ohio up 50-46.

7:52 - Washington drills jumper after a pair of Cardinal free throws, then Freeman nails a 3-ball and it’s 55-48 Ohio. Ball State comes up empty and Washington scores in the paint and suddenly Ohio has a 57-48 lead, their largest of the game. Under 6 minutes to play, TJ hall is whistled sending Perry to the line. Cooper hits a floater and it’s 59-51 with 5:20 to play.

5:04 - Freeman called for his 3rd foul and Perry at the line. Perry hits both and has 20 on the night as Ball State trails by 6. Another interesting call goes against Ohio’s Ivo Baltic draws the ire of the Ohio crowd and the refs head to the video screen. Apparently nothing changes as Jones is at the line and goes 1-2, but baltic answers in the paint and Ohio is up 7 again at 61-54 with 4 minutes left. Media timeout @ the 3:37 mark, 61-54 Ohio.

Stats - Ohio 36-30 on the boards, 32-24 in the paint.

3:37 - Freeman a steal which leads to an OU score then Ball State answers. Cooper then hits a floater to make it 65-56 matching Ohio’s biggest lead at 9. Bond completes a 3-point play to cut it back to six again and then Ball State hits a 3-ball to cut it to 3 points. The score leads the Western Michigan coaches/players in the media row to show more emotion about a basket than I have seen in 6 years of covering the MAC Tournament.

1:49 - Ohio ball, up 65-62. Ohio can’t score but Ball State blows a bunny and Baltic is fouled by Kamieniecki who fouls out. Baltic will be at the line.

1:09 - Baltic, adding to his double-double, misses the FT and BSU ball with a minute left. Ball State calls a timeout with 51.6 seconds left, down 3. Bond scores and the foul, 1 point game with Bond shooting 1 FT. FT is good. Tied up. Crazy exchange and OT. Wow.

OT 1 - The Q does not want my money. Concessions are closed. Ball State up 68-67 but Freeman ties it at the line with 3:52 remaining. Now 3:13 to play after a 3-ball by Ball State, Ohio calls a timeout down 71-68.

3:13 left, OT 1 - The Bobcats get a couple of chances but no points, but a Ball State turnover leads to Cooper to Kellogg who lays it in and gets fouled. Kellogg hits the FT and we’re tied at 71 with 2:10 to play. Ball State scores and Washington hits 1-2 at the line and Ohio trails 73-72 with over a minute to play.

52.3 seconds, OT 1 - OU fans are irate after a Jerry Sauder call. Not the first time, won;t be the last time. Timeout Ball State, with the ball up 75-72. 17 seconds left on the shot clock. Ohio gets the ball back but DJ Cooper misses a 3-ball and Ohio is forced to foul. 7.8 seconds left and Ball State will be at the line, up 3.

7.8 seconds, OT 1 - Cooper fouled with 4.4 to play, hits FT #1 and misses the second. Kellogg gets the shot off but misses the last gasp effort for Ohio.

Final Score - Ball State 76 - Ohio 73

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