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.
Eugene German scored 31 points and the junior fueled a strong comeback by Northern Illinois, which tied it in the second half at 56-all but never took the lead.
After Turner hit a runner in the lane, the sophomore guard swiped a Northern Illinois pass, dribbled down the floor and fed Frye, who dropped a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Falcons a 65-58 lead.
Tayler Bradley’s 3-pointer pulled the Huskies within 68-65, but Frye made three free throws in the final 19 seconds to close it out.
Bradley added 16 points for the Huskies (17-17), who have not been to the MAC final since 1982.
Bowling Green did everything right in the first half while opening a 46-23 halftime lead. It appeared the Falcons would coast into the championship, but the lightning-quick German and the Huskies had other ideas.
They started making shots, turned up their defensive intensity, and with German scoring on several twisting layups, Northern Illinois closed within 56-51 with 8:31 left.
The Huskies finally caught Bowling Green when center Noah McCarty drilled a 3-pointer from the left side before turning and staring down some fans seated courtside.