GAME NOTES: The semifinal round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament begins on Friday with a matchup featuring the fourth-seeded Toledo Rockets taking on the top-seeded Central Michigan Chippewas at Quicken Loans Arena.

The winner moves on to the championship bout Saturday, and will vie for the conference title along with the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Toledo moved right past Eastern Michigan on Thursday in the third round of the conference tournament with a 78-67 victory. The win put a stop to a two-game skid for the fourth-seeded Rockets.

Central Michigan finished the regular season with a 12-6 record in conference play, just one year after completing the 2013-14 campaign in the basement of the conference standings. But the Chippewas have lost two of their last three games heading into the postseason.

Toledo had a healthy showing against Eastern Michigan on Thursday. The Rockets buried 48.3 percent of their field goal attempts in the contest, even though the team made just 3-of-13 from beyond the arc. Nathan Boothe led the way with 20 points, adding in nine rebounds. Julius Brown chipped in 17 points with eight assists, and J.D. Weatherspoon tallied a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds. Justin Drummond contributed another 11 points for the Rockets in the win.

It was a strong season for Brown, who led the team during the regular season in scoring with 16.4 ppg and 133 assists. The Rockets as a unit collected 75.5 ppg entering Thursday's clash, but also gave up a hefty 71.0 ppg to opponents headed into the postseason. In Toledo's loss to Central Michigan earlier this month, a 50-percent shooting touch from the floor wasn't enough to get the job done for the Rockets, who were led by Brown's 20-point effort. He was one of five players for Toledo that scored in double figures in the defeat.

Central Michigan's defense fell apart a bit in the team's regular-season finale against defending MAC champion Western Michigan. The Chippewas allowed the Broncos to shoot 56.3 percent from the floor in the 74-62 defeat. Chris Fowler led all scorers in the game with 21 points for CMU, while Rayshawn Simmons added 19 and John Simons chipped in 10. Still, the Chippewas earned the double-bye into the semifinal round.

Fowler enters the postseason leading Central Michigan in scoring, netting 14.8 ppg on 50.5 percent shooting from the field. He's followed by Simons (11.6 ppg) and Braylon Rayson (10.1 ppg) on a team netting 78.5 ppg heading into its semifinal match. The Chippewas haven't won a MAC Tournament since the 2003 season, and will be looking for a three-game season sweep over Toledo in this clash.

Central Michigan gave its younger players experience last season, and that paid off with a now-veteran squad leading the charge for the Chippewas. Their athleticism should be enough to down the Rockets.