Kent St. 76, W. Michigan 72

By foxsports
Published

Justin Greene scored 23 points and Randal Holt added 13 as Kent State advanced to the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament by beating Western Michigan 76-72 on Thursday night.

The fourth-seeded Golden Flashes (21-10) will play heated rival and top-seeded Akron in Friday's semifinals. The Zips won both meetings between the schools during the regular season.

With Kent State leading 58-49, WMU's Matt Stainbrook missed an easy layup and then compounded his mistake by elbowing Kent State's Michael Porrini in the face after a bucket at the other end. The officials reviewed TV replays before ejecting Stainbrook for the flagrant foul.

The Golden Flashes scored six straight to open a 66-49 lead and were able to hang on after Western Michigan closed within three in the final seconds.

Demetrius Ward led Western Michigan with 16 points.