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Isaiah Johnson, Akron beat Eastern Michigan in MAC quarterfinals

Posted at 5:00 PM, Mar 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-09 17:00:34-05
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Isaiah Johnson had a double-double, Noah Robotham scored 19 points and No. 1 seed Akron beat Eastern Michigan 79-62 on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
   
Johnson, the MAC player of the year, finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks and Josh Williams scored 11 for Akron (25-7), which will play Western Michigan or Ball State in the semifinals on Friday.
   
Robotham hit a 3-pointer and Johnson converted a 3-point play during an 11-0 run that made it 30-21 with 2:10 left in the half and the Zips led the rest of the way. Ray Lee made back-to-back 3s to pull Eastern Michigan within four and, after a bucket by Johnson, Lee hit two free throws to make it 57-53 with five minutes to go. But Johnson scored four points and Williams hit two 3s during a 14-2 run over the next 2 1/2 minutes to push Akron's lead into double figures for good.
   
James Thompson IV had 18 points and 16 rebounds for No. 8 seed Eastern Michigan (16-17) and Lee hit two 3s and scored 17 points. Lee, a senior, is second in school history with 213 career 3-pointers and fourth with 1,873 points.