Bulls to match up with Broncos in MAC semifinals

With their school-record 21st victory, the Bulls have advanced to the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference for the first time in school history.

The Bulls' opponent will be the Western Michigan Broncos (19-8) who defeated the Akron Zips by six points in overtime in the quarterfinals.

Akron could not find an answer for Ben Reed, who dominated the Zips with 24 points. He added a career-high of 13 rebounds.

Western Michigan grabbed 55 rebounds on Akron, the same number the Bulls recorded in a victory over the Zips earlier this year.

This game against the Broncos looks to be a difficult one for the Bulls as both teams match up well.

"I think our next game is going to be just as rough or even rougher (than the Toledo game), we just have to be ready and be aggressive," said Bulls' sophomore forward Yassin Idbihi.

The last time these two teams faced each other the Bulls walked away with an 85-79 victory over the Broncos. UB held off the Broncos despite giving up 35 points to Levi Rost and 15 points to Reed.

The Bulls are excited about being back in Cleveland, and experiencing the later rounds of the tournament for the first time.

"Last year was our first time in Gund Arena, and we said we wanted to be back here, and we said we didn't want to go home," said Bulls' senior point guard Turner Battle. "We still don't want to go home."

Battle said he knows how important it is going to be for the Bulls not to get ahead of themselves. Though Western Michigan lost their last regular season game before the conference tournament, the team defeated a tough opponent in Akron.

"It's been a lot of hard work and dedication," said Battle. "Now we have to take this one game at a time."

The Bulls have to keep the momentum going from their previous games in order to get past the Broncos' stifling defense. Calvin Cage had a breakout game against Toledo, and the Bulls could use a repeat of the junior point guard's 23-point performance.

UB has scored over 70 points in each of its last three games and averaged 74.3 points per game, which matches up well to the Broncos, who average 73.6 points per game but have scored under 70 points in three of their last four games.

The Bulls are one of only two teams to defeat the Broncos on their home court this year. Western Michigan is also one of just two teams to defeat UB at home in Alumni Arena this season.

Tip off is set for 9 p.m. at Gund Arena, 30 minutes after the finish of the previous game.