DeKALB, Ill. - Junior No. 1 Sid Hazarika gained an early service break in the third set and his comeback win was the clinching point in Binghamton's riveting 4-3 triumph over second-seeded Western Michigan in a MAC semifinal match Friday afternoon on the campus of Northern Illinois.

The third-seeded Bearcats now advance to the program's eighth consecutive conference championship match, and will meet fellow SUNY Center Buffalo in Saturday's 2 p.m. (ET) title match. Buffalo knocked off top-seeded and host NIU in the day's first semifinal. The winner of the All-New York showdown gains an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.

The see-saw match extended beyond four hours. 

Hazarika was a two-time player of the year in the America East before BU took membership in the MAC this fall. His guile and shotmaking were on display in the final match. With the team score knotted at 3-3 and both teams huddled around Court 1, Hazarika forged an early break and then held serve throughout the set to post a 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over Western Michigan's Maik Steiner. Hazarika was one game away from losing the match in the second set. After dropping the first set, he trailed 5-4 before rallying.

The Bearcats grabbed the early momentum by taking the doubles point, thanks to wins at the top two spots. The tandem of senior Robin Lesage and junior Eliott Hureau provided the winning margin with their 6-4 win at No. 1.

Western Michigan, which has won seven of the previous nine MAC titles and 23 overall, quickly evened the score at 1-1 with the first completed singles match. The Broncs won first sets in four of the six singles matches to turn the tide.  

But senior No. 3 Ismael Dinia then posted a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 3 to give BU a 2-1 edge. The Broncs evened it again with a win at No. 5 but sophomore No. 6 Frenk Kote used the momentum from a first-set tiebreak and provided the third team point with a 7-6, 6-2 win.

After Western Michigan won a close battle at fourth singles, all eyes shifted to Hazarika's match, and the third-year standout didn't disappoint. 

NOTES
Dinia's win was his 78th career singles victory, moving him into a tie for fourth place all-time ... Binghamton won seven consecutive America East championships before the conference discontinued the sport and BU was welcomed into the MAC for this season ... Binghamton is 13-4 all-time against Buffalo, including a 5-2 home win over the Bulls on April 1 indoors at the Binghamton Tennis Center. the Bearcats are seeking the program's 10th NCAA bid in the last 13 years.

MAC Semifinals
#3 Binghamton 4, #2 Western Michigan 3

DOUBLES
1. Lesage/Hureau (BING) def. Kecic/Greiner (WMU), 6-4