Rapid Reaction: No. 12 Bowling Green 62, No. 4 Central Michigan 59
CLEVELAND — Chris Fowler's pass to John Simons was intercepted with 2.9 seconds to go, giving No. 12 Bowling Green the upset 62-59 victory over No. 4 Central Michigan on Thursday in the Mid-American Conference Tournament Quarterfinals.
Bowling Green freshman guard Antwon Lillard was the hero for the Falcons most of the game.
After missing a free throw on two separate occasions with his team down one in the final 1:07, Lillard responded with a game-winning 3-pointer with 13 seconds to go to put the Falcons up one, giving them their first lead since being up 9-6.
CMU struggled from the free-throw line as well, going 13-for-24 and 9-for-17 in the second half. Senior guard Rayshawn Simmons made one of two free throws with 23 seconds to go to give BGSU the ball down two points before Lillard hit the 3-pointer.
Cleveland native leads Falcons
Lillard, who went to high school five minutes from Quicken Loans Arena, led the Falcons early on.
Lillard entered Thursday fourth on the team with 7.9 points per game, but scored 11 of BGSU's 25 first-half points. He finished with a career-high 26 points.
The Falcons' two leading scorers, senior forward Spencer Parker and junior guard Zack Denny, combined to go 0-for-5 from the field with zero points in the first half.
Lillard's driving dunk from the baseline with 9:03 to play ended an 8-0 CMU run. His 3-pointer with 1:37 to go brought the Falcons within one point.
Foul trouble forces Simons to the center position
Sophomore forward DaRohn Scott picked up three fouls in the first half while sophomore forward Luke Meyer had to in the first 20 minutes. Scott picked up his fourth foul 2:10 into the second half and went to the bench for the majority of the second half.
Scott fouled out with 3:14 to play.
Senior forward John Simons moved over to the five spot in place of Meyer and Scott during stretches in both halves. He led CMU with a career-high 16 rebounds.
What's next
Bowling Green will face No. 1 Akron at 6:30 p.m. on Friday in the MAC Tournament Semifinal at Quicken Loans Arena. The Zips (25-7, 13-5 MAC) erased a 12-point deficit with under nine minutes to go on Thursday, defeating No. 8 Eastern Michigan 65-63.
Junior center Isaiah Johnson scored the game-winner with 25.5 seconds to play.
CMU is eliminated from the MAC Tournament and will await a potential invitation to a postseason tournament.
