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Buffalo, Eastern Michigan Advance


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No. 8 Buffalo outscored No. 5 Ball State by 21 in the second half, and No. 7 Eastern Michigan outlasted No. 11 Miami to advance to the MAC quarterfinals Wednesday.

Sophomore forward Will Regan poured in a career-high 36 points to carry Buffalo past Ball State, 76-61. All-MAC First Team forward Javon McCrae added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, while Jauwan Scaife scored 28 points for Ball State in a losing effort.

The Bulls reversed a 6-point halftime deficit by shooting 64 percent from the field wth seven 3-pointers in the second half compared to just 25 percent for Ball State.

Eastern Michigan extended its 3-point halftime lead to double digits in the first ten minutes of the second half, holding Miami to just 2-of-11 from the field and forcing eight turnovers in that stretch. From there, the Eagles cruised to a 58-47 victory as Miami shot just 26 percent from the field after the break.

Derek Thompson scored 14 points for Eastern Michigan on a balanced scoring night. Forwards Will Felder and Jon Harris also scored 14 apiece for Miami but were the only RedHawks to score more than 6.

Buffalo advances to play No. 4 Kent State Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Michigan matches up with No. 3 Western Michigan at 9.