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GAME NOTES: Semifinal action in the Mid-American Conference Tournament will take place this evening when the third-seeded Akron Zips battle the seventh- seeded Western Michigan Broncos at the Quicken Loans Arena.

The Broncos opened the tournament with a 75-73 victory over Bowling Green, and followed that up with a 69-60 decision over Central Michigan on Thursday. It was the third straight win for Western Michigan, which is looking for its first tournament title since 2004.

Akron, which earned a bye through the first round, began its tournament run with a thrilling, 97-89 double overtime victory over Eastern Michigan on Thursday. The win over the Eagles was the eighth victory in the last 10 matchups for Akron, which is trying to repeat as tournament champion.

The Zips defeated Western Michigan 79-70 earlier this season. It was the seventh win in the last eight meetings for Akron, giving the Zips a slight 18-17 edge over the Broncos in the all-time series.

The Broncos went into halftime against Central Michigan down by nine points, but the team fought back in the second stanza and went on to grab a nine-point victory. Western Michigan shot 43.5 percent from the floor in the contest and also connected on 26-of-36 attempts from the foul line. David Kool exploded for 26 points in the win, while Flenard Whitfield tallied a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. David Brown added 11 points, while Donald Lawson posted 10 points. Kool has been outstanding this season and comes into this game averaging 21.1 ppg. Martelle McLemore is contributing 11.4 ppg and 5.0 rpg, while Whitfield is netting 10.3 ppg, to go along with 5.2 rpg.

The Zips blew a halftime lead against Eastern Michigan in their quarterfinal matchup, but Akron was fortunately able to grab a win in double-overtime. Akron shot a respectable 47.7 percent from the floor in the contest and also made 11-of-19 attempts from behind the arc. Steve McNees, who nailed a three- point basket to tie the game and send it into the second overtime, led the way with 18 points, while Anthony Hitchens tallied 16 points. Zeke Marshall posted 13 points, nine rebounds and six blocks, while Brett McKnight also chipped in 13 points. McKnight is the only player averaging double figures for Akron, as the forward is netting 10.4 ppg, while Jimmy Conyers is posting 9.9 ppg, to go along with 6.7 rpg.

The Zips needed double overtime to get past Eastern Michigan, and could be running on empty entering this matchup. Akron should put up a fight, but look for Kool and the gang to push through to the title game.