Cleveland, OH -- (Sports Network) - In a defensive battle for the right to advance to the Mid-American Conference finals tomorrow night, the top-seeded Kent State Golden Flashes escaped with a 49-47 victory over the fifth-seeded Miami-Ohio RedHawks on Al Fisher's game-winning jumper with 3.5 seconds left in regulation.

The victory allowed Kent State (27-6) a rare three-game sweep over its conference foe, winning both regular season matchups by 33 points combined. Fisher dropped in a team-high 11 points on a rough 4-of-15 shooting night from the floor. Rodriquez Sherman came off the bench and notched 10 points in limited minutes, while Haminn Quaintance pulled down 12 boards to go along with seven points.

Miami-OH (17-15) was denied a chance at repeating as MAC Champions, as Tim Pollitz logged 15 points and nine rebounds, and Tyler Dierkers posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.

The RedHawks opened up the game's scoring with a Kenny Hayes layup two minutes into the game, but it would prove to be its only lead of the first half.

The Flashes connected on 10-of-22 from the floor in the opening stanza, including 3-of-7 from behind the arc, as Quaintance's two free throws with a minute remaining gave Kent State a 25-23 lead at the break.

Both squads struggled from the field in the final 20 minutes. The lead went back and forth with both team's holding a three-point lead at some point before the halfway mark in the half.

The game would get no further out of reach for either team. The RedHawks' Hayes hit a layup with 33 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 47-47. On the final possession, Fisher came through in the clutch, as his jumper gave Kent State a hard-fought win and a chance to play further into the postseason.

The Golden Flashes took advantage of Miami-Ohio's 13 turnovers by converting them into 16 points. The eight-point differential in points off turnovers was instrumental in a game that featured 12 ties and nine lead changes.

The third-seeded Akron Zips upended second-seeded Western Michigan, 73-63 in the other MAC semifinal. While Kent State won both contests against their rival in the regular season, the Flashes needed a three-point play with three seconds remaining in regulation to pull off a 61-58 victory in a meeting with the Zips last weekend.