BOX SCORE
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Western Michigan men's basketball team, led behind the shooting of sophomore David Kool with a game-high 19 points, took a victory over Green Bay Saturday evening at the Resch Center in front of 3,414 during the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters.
Trailing by four points heading out for the second half of the game, the Broncos (16-10, 9-3) started with an 8-2 run over Green Bay (13-14, 7-9 Horizon) with Kool scoring two shots from three-point range along with a jumper from Joe Reitz to take the lead early in the half, 35-33 with 18:16 remaining.
The Phoneix fought back hard to regain their lead, but after a jumper from Andre Ricks to tie the score, 54-54, followed by a shot from Kool, the Broncos would never lose in the remaining 7:06 on the clock.
With 3:19 left in the game, Green Bay sent the Broncos to the line seven times connecting on 12-for-14 bringing the Brown and Gold to the largest lead of nine with 15 seconds left on the clock after Kool and Derek Fracalossi went 4-for-4 each from the line, 74-65. Green Bay was last to add to the scoreboard but it was not enough ending with a Western Michigan victory over Green Bay, 74-67.
The Broncos started off with a shot from behind the arc from Michael Redell but after a jumper from Green Bay's Randy Berry, both teams traded baskets back and forth but after Shawntes Gary added a jumper, the Broncos were unable to connect on a shot for 3:02 allowing Green Bay to go on an 8-0 run until a layup from Fracalossi ended the scoring drought for the Brown and Gold, 21-16, with 6:02 remaining in the first half.
After an old fashioned three point play from Reitz followed by Andrew Hershberger and Ricks connecting 4-for-4 from the line, sent the Broncos into the locker room behind four, 31-27.
The Broncos defense only allowed Green Bay to shoot two shots from behind the arc in the first half of play with them unable to connect on either, 0-for-2, meanwhile Western Michigan connected on 4-for-11 (36.4 percent). The Brown and Gold also was able to outrebound Green Bay by 10, 33 to 23.
Western Michigan improves it record to 3-2 in the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters and completes their final nonconference game.
Kool led the Broncos with a game-high 19 points followed by Reitz with 16 points, including his first career three-pointer and eight rebounds along with Gary with 16 points and five rebounds.
Reitz continues to move up in the record books entering fifth in career field goals after connecting 5-for-6 with a career total 545.
Green Bay was led by Terry Evans with 16 points followed by Ryan Tillema with 13 points and Rahmon Fletcher with 10 points.
The Broncos head to Northern Illinois for the first competition since the tragic events that occured on Feb. 14 to take on the Huskies Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.
