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Northern Illinois Huskies (17-17)

Tue. 3/5	Fri. 3/8	Mon. 3/11	Thu. 3/14	Fri. 3/15
@ CentMi W 89-86 Box	@ BallSt W 64-57 Box	vs. Ohio W 80-61 Box	@ Toledo W 80-76 Box	@ BGSU L 67-71 Box

Bowling Green hangs on, beats N. Illinois to make MAC final

CLEVELAND (AP) Dylan Frye scored 25 points, Justin Turner made a big late steal and Bowling Green hung on beat Northern Illinois 71-67 in the semifinals Friday night to advance to its first Mid-American Conference championship in 17 years.

The third-seeded Falcons (22-11) blew a 23-point halftime lead but pulled it together in the final minutes and earned a shot at top-seeded and No. 18 Buffalo in Saturday's title game for an NCAA bid.

Bowling Green was one of just three teams to beat Buffalo this season, handing the Bulls a 92-88 loss on Feb. 1. Buffalo, which is seeking its fourth title in five years, returned the favor on March 8 with an 84-73 win.

Leaders
Points:	E. German	20.4
Rebounds:	L. James	6.9
Assists:	E. German	2.9
FG%:	L. Bradley	49.5%
FT%:	L. Bradley	82.6%
3P%:	E. German	41.4%
Steals:	E. German	1.2
Blocks:	L. James	0.6

AP Rankings
Rank	School	Rec
1	Duke	32-6
2	Virginia	35-3
3	North Carolina	29-7
4	Gonzaga	33-4
5	Michigan State	32-7
6	Tennessee	31-6
7	Kentucky	30-7
8	Michigan	30-7
9	Texas Tech	31-7
10	Florida State	29-8
View Complete Poll

Coaches Rankings
Rank	School	Rec
1	Virginia	35-3
2	Texas Tech	31-7
3	Michigan State	32-7
4	Duke	32-6
5	Auburn	30-10
6	Gonzaga	33-4
7	Kentucky	30-7
8	Purdue	26-10
9	North Carolina	29-7
10	Tennessee	31-6
View Complete Poll

Mid-American Standings
	Conference	Overall
	W-L	W-L
East
15 Buffalo	16-2	32-4
Bowling Green	12-6	22-12
Kent State	11-7	22-11
Akron	8-10	17-16
Miami (OH)	7-11	15-17
Ohio	6-12	14-17
West
Toledo	13-5	25-8
Central Michigan	10-8	23-12
Eastern Michigan	9-9	15-17
Northern Illinois	8-10	17-17
Ball State	6-12	16-17
Western Michigan	2-16	8-24
View Full Standings

Offense (Rank)
Points:	73.7 (141)
Rebounds:	9.1 (252)
Assists:	11.0 (326)
FG%:	47.1% (46)
FT%:	73.1% (95)
3P%:	35.7% (109)

Defense (Rank)
Points:	71.0 (170)
Rebounds:	25.6 (146)
Assists:	13.4 (217)
FG%:	43.3% (153)
FT%:	67.7% (50)
3P%:	35.7% (273)