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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Akron
Bowling Green Clips Zips, 60-58, Will Face Ball State Next
March 07, 2002 | Men's Basketball
March 7, 2002
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) - Keith McLeod hit a fadeaway 3-pointer with six seconds left and Bowling Green survived a late Akron rally Thursday night for a 60-58 win in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament.
McLeod scored 29 points and showed why he was the league's MVP during the regular season by hitting the shot after missing his five previous 3s and four free throws down the stretch.
The Falcons (23-7) will play Ball State (20-10), the tourney's second seed, in Friday's second semifinal. The Cardinals advanced with a 62-50 win over Miami of Ohio.
In the opener, top-seeded Kent State (25-5) will play fourth-seeded Toledo (16-13). The championship is Saturday.
After two years of quarterfinal upsets at Gund Arena, the higher seeds all won Thursday and Bowling Green's win puts the MAC's top four teams - Kent State, Ball State, Bowling Green and Toledo - in the semifinals.
It's the first time since 1995 the four top seeds have moved into the semis.
Rashon Brown scored 21 points and Darryl Peterson 12 for Akron (10-21), the No. 11 seed.
Byron Thompson grabbed a rebound and hit a 10-footer with 12.6 seconds left, giving Akron, which trailed by eight points in the second half, a 58-57 lead.
Bowling Green pushed the ball up and McLeod drove the right side before pulling up and sticking his 3-pointer - Bowling Green's first of the second half.
McLeod had missed two free throws with 23.9 seconds remaining and two more attempts with 5:19 left when Akron's bench was called for a technical.
Following two timeouts, Akron had one last chance, but David Falknor missed a 3-point attempt just before the horn.
McLeod, who scored 42 points in a game earlier this season and came in ranked ninth nationally in scoring, scored 13 of Bowling Green's first 15 points.
The 6-foot-2 guard had 18 at halftime as the Falcons opened a 30-20 lead.
