BOX SCORE
HONOLULU -- Martelle McLemore hit five three-pointers for 15 points and David Kool added 16 points to lead Western Michigan past College of Charleston, 66-63, to claim fifth place in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
The Broncos (6-5) won two games in a row for the first time this season with the victory. Donald Lawson notched his second double-double of the tournament with 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Cougars (6-6). Charleston, preseason favorites in the Southern Conference, join Holy Cross (Patriot League) and Northeastern (Colonial Athletic Association) as conference favorites that WMU has defeated this season.
Kool hit a three-pointer on the right wing on the fast break to put WMU in front for good, 61-58, with 3:24 to play. The Cougars closed within one, 61-60, but then McLemore buried his fifth three-pointer on the next possession, 64-60. Charleston came back with another triple, but the Broncos didn't allow another point in the final 2:19.
Kool rebounded his own miss and hit a floater in the lane to open the scoring, but then College of Charleston went on an 18-5 run to take an 11-point lead, 18-7, with 11:30 to go on a three-pointer by Andrew Goudelock. The Broncos responded with four points by Kool and Alex Wolf and a lay-up by Donald Lawson to pull within one, 18-17, with 8:07 to go after a 10-0 run.
The Cougars scored the next four, but then Nate Hutcheson and Martelle McLemore hit three-pointers to even the game, 23-23, with 4:43 to go in the half. College of Charleston came right back with four more in a row, but then McLemore and Demetrius Ward converted on back-to-back triples to give WMU the lead, 29-27, for the first time since 2-0 with 1:15 to go. Both teams had empty possessions until Goudelock found Rashad Wright for a dunk with five seconds to go to tie the score, 29-29, at halftime.
The Broncos hit just 32.3 percent of their shots, but did make 5-of-12 three-pointers, including four of their last six attempts. The Broncos held CofC to 35.5 percent shooting and 3-of-13 from three-point land. The Broncos out-rebounded the Cougars, 23-16, in the opening half, including 11-4 on the offensive glass, but Charleston held an 8-5 lead in first half second-chance points.
The teams traded baskets in the first seven minutes of the second half as Charleston led, 40-39. The Broncos ended the trade with a 12-2 run over 4:05 to take a nine-point lead, 51-42, on a McLemore three-pointer with 8:56 to go.
The Cougars weren't going away and ent on an 11-2 run to tie the game, 53-53, with 5:11 still left on the clock. McLemore followed with a three, but then Charleston scored five straight to take the lead, 58-56, with 3:58 to go. On the very next possession, Lawson rebounded Kool's miss to tie the game, leading to Ward's assist to Kool on the game-winning three-pointer.
The Broncos shot 38.7 percent from the field, but did hit 10-of-24 three-pointers. College of Charleston shot 41.7 percent and made 7-of-24 three-pointers (.292). The Broncos out-rebounded Charleston, 43-26, and had a 13-10 advantage in second-chance points.
The Broncos are off until 2010 when they host Sam Houston State, preseason favorite in the Southland Conference, at University Arena on Jan. 3 at 2 p.m.
