CONWAY, S.C. – At the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach, Western Michigan men's basketball scored 15 straight points to start the second half to down Appalachian State, 86-67 on Friday night inside the HTC Center.  

With the victory, the Broncos will match-up with 2017 Final Four participant South Carolina for the second time in six days on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2:00 p.m. on ESPNU. On the season, WMU has an overall record of 2-2.

Senior guard Thomas Wilder had one of his best performances of the season recording a game-high 31 points with 24 points coming in the second half. From the field, Wilder went 9-of-16 while going 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. The Montgomery, Ill., native also grabbed three rebounds along with two assists and three steals.

In double digits for the third straight game was junior Bryce Moore with 14 points while connecting on a trio of three-pointers to lead the Broncos. For the first time in his career, Moore led the team with seven rebounds. Also scoring in double digits was sophomore Brandon Johnson with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. WMU has had at least three players score in double figures in every game this season.

Defensively the Broncos dominated the Mountaineers forcing Appalachian State to commit 16 turnovers scoring 20 points off those turnovers. WMU registered five blocks with junior Josh Davis leading the way with two.

The Broncos shot 47.5 percent from the field while connecting on seven threes'. In the second half alone, WMU shot a staggering 50 percent and went 15-of-19 from the free-throw line.

WMU pulled away from Appalachian State in the second half, scoring the first 15 points while holding the Mountaineers scoreless the first seven minutes. Wilder scored 24 of his game-high 31 points in the second half as the Broncos outscored the Mountaineers, 46-27.

Late in the first half, Appalachian State led by six before the Broncos embarked on a 12-4 run in the final three minutes to regain the lead. However, with time winding down in the first half the Mountaineers nailed a three-pointer from the right elbow to tie the game at 40-40 heading into halftime.

From that point on it was all Western Michigan as the Broncos scored 15 straight points to begin the second half and rattled off a combined 30-10 run to extend their lead to double digits.

Despite being held scoreless the first seven minutes of action in the second half, Appalachian State continued to battle and dwindled the WMU lead to single digits with five minutes remaining.

The game was then put out of reach when the Broncos went on an 11-1 run the final four minutes of play to seal their first victory at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. During the final three minutes of play, App State was held scoreless while WMU made their final three field goals.