Recap: Western Mich vs. Northern Ill

Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Mike Douglas scored 19 points and handed out seven assists as the eighth-seeded Western Michigan Broncos brought the 12th-seeded Northern Illinois Huskies back down to earth with a 71-54 win in the second round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena.

Demetrius Ward added 13 points and Brandon Pokley had 12 for Western Michigan (14-19) which faces fourth-seed Kent State in tomorrow's quarterfinals. Matt Stainbrook also contributed for the Broncos with a game-high nine rebounds.

Tony Nixon finished with 11 points while Antone Christian added 10 for Northern Illinois (5-26) which stunned fifth-seeded Eastern Michigan in the opening round after managing only four wins in the regular season.

Despite converting on 50.0 percent of its first half shots Northern Illinois trailed 31-28 at the end of the first half due to Western Michigan's work on the offensive glass. The Broncos had nine offensive rebounds and outscored the Huskies 7-0 in second chance points over the first twenty minutes.

In the second half Western Michigan shot at an impressive 58.3 percent clip and limited Northern Illinois to just 29.6 percent.

The Broncos lead by just two, 39-37, with 16:24 left on the clock, but then ripped off a 17-1 run to go up 56-38 with just over 10 minutes remaining. The Huskies never recovered and trailed by as many as 20 points in the remainder of the second frame.

Western Michigan held a commanding 39-26 edge on the boards and outscored the Huskies 28-16 on points in the paint.