MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.- Western Michigan led 53-40 at halftime and by as many as 18 in the game, but Central Michigan rallied in the final minutes to hold off the Broncos, 86-82, Friday night. With the game tied 81-81, CMU's Marcus Keene hit a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining.

Keene finished with 35 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals. He entered the game as the nation's leading scorer, averaging 30 points per game.

Thomas Wilder led Western Michigan with 21 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block. Tucker Haymond had 16 points and four assists. Freshmen Brandon Johnson totaled a career-high 15 points, as well as eight rebounds and three blocks.

Western Michigan shot a blazing 67.6 percent in the first half, hitting 7-for-11 from 3-point range. The Broncos went just 2-for-12 from behind the arc in the second half and cooled off to 39.1 percent from the field.

WMU led for almost 37 minutes, racing out to a 7-0 advantage and then pushing its lead to 20-4 in the first half, 53-40 at halftime. The Broncos outscored the Chippewas 10-5 over the first two and a half minutes of the second half to hold an 18-point lead with 17:32 remaining.

Central Michigan made its runs and the Broncos did a good job countering until the final five minutes. WMU led by 10, 79-69, with 5:20 left to go but its next six possessions resulted in three-straight turnovers followed by three missed shots.

CMU meanwhile went on a 12-0 run, taking its first lead, 81-79, with 1:31 left to play. WMU's Drake LaMont tied the game on free throws and came up with a defensive rebound on a CMU miss that gave the Broncos a chance at a go-ahead score. Haymond's three-point shot was off the mark and CMU rebounded and put the ball in the hands of Keene. Keene worked the clock down and hit a long, well-guarded three in front of the Chippewa bench.

Wilder was fouled on WMU's inbounds, made his first free throw and intentionally missed the second. The Broncos had to foul Braylon Rayson who hit two free throws to seal the win.

Western Michigan's record slips to 7-15 overall and 3-7 in the Mid-American Conference. Central Michigan moved to 15-8 and 5-5 in the MAC.

The Broncos travel to Oxford, Ohio to face Miami on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.