CLEVELAND — CLEVELAND (AP) — Jeenathan Williams scored 26 points and hit a crucial 3-pointer midway through in overtime, leading Buffalo to an 81-74 win over Akron in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
The second-seeded Bulls (16-7) scored the first seven points in OT, with Williams' 3 making it 75-68 with 2:35 left. Buffalo missed five free throws in the final 1:29, but Akron couldn't capitalize.
Loren Cristian Jackson scored 27 to lead Akron (15-8), but missed a potential game-winning 3 as time expired in regulation. He made two layups in overtime, but those were the Zips' only field goals of the extra period.
Buffalo will make its fifth title game appearance in the past six tournaments when it meets Ohio on Saturday for the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid. The Bobcats stunned top-seeded Toledo in the other semifinal.
