2018 Women's Tournament Bracket
Women's Tournament Central
No. 1 Central Michigan (25-4, 17-1 MAC) vs. No. 9 Eastern Michigan (11-19, 6-12 MAC)
12:00 pm ET / Watch on ESPN3 / Live Stats
Central Michigan is the top seed in the tournament, the result of its second consecutive regular-season MAC title. The Chippewas are 25-4 and ranked sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 and carries an RPI of 20, which is second among MAC teams.
Eastern Michigan overcame a 10-point deficit to upset No. 8 Northern Illinois University, 84-77, March 5, to earn a trip to Cleveland. EMU and CMU’s quarterfinal clash Wednesday, will be the first postseason meeting between the two since the semifinals of the 2016 MAC Tournament. Danielle Minott leads the Eagles offensively in her first season donning the Green and White, averaging a team-best 16.1 points per game and 18.5 in MAC games. Freshman Courtine Lewis ranks inside the conference’s top-10 in five categories, while also leading all freshmen in four of them. Her 423 points rank third-most by an EMU freshman, while her 40.5 three-point field goal percentage is slotted second among EMU freshmen and eighth overall.
No. 4 Miami (20-9, 12-6 MAC) vs. No. 5 Ohio (16-14, 9-9 MAC)
30 Minutes following / Watch on ESPN3 / Live Stats
Miami cruised past Kent State, 58-35, this past Saturday on Senior Day in Millett Hall. Kayla Brown paced the offensive effort with 11 points while Leah Purvis chipped in 10. Miami held the Golden Flashes to just 27.5 percent shooting from the floor. The #4 seed RedHawks will take on #5 Ohio for the third time this season. Miami leads the all-time series over Ohio 55-32, extending its margin over the Bobcats with a pair of victories this season. The teams last saw one another in the MAC Tournament in the first round in 2013, a 83-61 RedHawk win.
Ohio is coming off of an 85-73 victory over #12 Akron in the opening round of the MAC Tournament on March 5. Leading Ohio is Cierra Hooks with 13.8 points per game. She is also averaging 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game. Amani Burke is averaging 13.2 points per game and is averaging of 3.7 rebounds. Gabby Burris is slowly climbing her way up the points ladder, averaging 10.3 points per game and 11.2 points per game in MAC play. This is the 50th Mid-American Conference game the Bobcats will take part in. The Bobcats are 20-29 all-time in MAC Tournament games.
No. 2 Buffalo (25-4, 16-2 MAC) vs. No. 10 Kent State (13-18, 5-13 MAC)
30 minutes following / Watch on ESPN3 / Live Stats
Buffalo enters the MAC quarterfinals on Wednesday evening on a nine-game winning streak as they will take on #10 Kent State for the third time this season. UB has won the previous two meetings this season by an average of 34.0 points/game. This marks the 31st meeting of all-time between the two programs with both teams winning 15 games. The Bulls have owned the series of late, winning 12 of the last 13 including two this season. UB currently has two players ranked inside the top-5 in the MAC in rebounds in conference games as Cassie Oursler is averaging 8.7/game and Summer Hemphill is averaging 8.7/game.
Kent State rallied from 17 points down late in the third period to force overtime and leave Savage Arena with an 80-76 victory over host Toledo in a Mid-American Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament first round game on Monday night. The win ends a streak of eight consecutive MAC Tournament losses for the Golden Flashes. The Flashes had three players score at least 20 points in the contest.
No. 3 Ball State (24-5, 13-5 MAC) vs. No. 6 Western Michigan (17-14, 9-9 MAC)
30 minutes following / Watch on ESPN3 / Live Stats
Ball State earned an automatic bye as the third seed advancing straight to the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. This marks the 28th appearance in the MAC Tournament in program history, advancing to Cleveland 17 out of the past 18 seasons. The Cardinals are 20-26 all-time in MAC Tournament play and have advanced to the MAC Tournament finals on five occasions. Senior forward Moriah Monaco has scored 80 times in double figures over her career and is 69 points away from moving up to fifth on the program’s all-time scoring list. Junior guard Carmen Grande ranks second nationally in assists per game (9.4 apg) and second in total assists (272).
Western Michigan (6 seed) defeated No. 11 seeded Bowling Green Monday night in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. With the win the Broncos advance to Cleveland to face No. 3 Ball State. WMU had huge performances from freshman Jordan Walker and juniors Deja Wimby and Breanna Mobley in the victory as the three combined for 75 of WMU’s 85 points. Walker made five three-pointers and finished with a team season-high 32 points on 11-for-16 shooting.
