LOGAN, Utah -Western Michigan claimed another one-possession win as the Broncos defeated Idaho State, 63-60, to close out the 2010 World Vision Invitational at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Matt Stainbrook led three teammates in double figures with his second career double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
WMU's largest lead was five points at three points during Thursday night's game with the Broncos not enjoying a lead in the ball game until the 15:49 mark of the second half when Nate Hutcheson score on a layup to put his team up, 36-35. The bucket was two of Hutcheson's 10 points on the night.
The sophomore made his presence known on both sides of the floor against Idaho State. With WMU ahead by one, 38-37, the Bengals' Mike Lacy went up for an easy fastbreak dunk but Hutcheson came flying in for the block, taking the ball away and rejecting the shot directly to Juwan Howard Jr. That play sparked a Bronco fastbreak and resulted in and Alex Wolf three-point field goal, a five points swing that put WMU up by four, 41-37.
The Broncos trailed by as many as nine points twice during the first half. The first double-digit deficit came at the 8:40 mark of the first half when Lacey scored on a layup to put Idaho State up, 20-11. The Bengals went back up by nine at 26-17 on a Broderick Gilchrist three pointer with 4:23 remaining before halftime.
From that point Western Michigan outscored the opponent 11-3 to pull to within a point at the break, 29-28. The Broncos finished the first half on a 17-9 run. Juwan Howard Jr. started the run with a pair of free throws followed by a Mike Douglas three-point field goal. After two ISU free throws, Stainbrook drained a pair of his own and then followed with a dunk with 1:06 left on the clock. Hutcheson made a layup with 30 seconds remaining to put WMU behind by just one point as the teams headed to the locker room.
Idaho State never led by more than four points the rest of the way and there were only two more ties throughout the remainder of the game. Alex Wolf, who scored in double figures for the fourth time in his career and first time since March 4, 2010, put WMU up by five on a free throw. After a three-point play for the Bengals, Wolf nailed the second of his two three pointers to put the Broncos back up by five with 4:54 remaining.
Western Michigan's defense clamped down after a Phillip Taylor off-balance jumper to pull within three points at the 4:21 mark. The Bengals did not record another field goal until there was just seven seconds left on the clock. During that time WMU made 5-of-6 free throws to keep the game between a one and two-possession game. Demetrius Ward hit 1-of-2 and Douglas sank all four of his attempts over the final 13 seconds to preserve the Broncos' fourth win in one-possession games.
Stainbrook's double-double is not only the second of the freshman's young career but also the second for the team. The Bay Village, Ohio, native was named to the World Vision Invitational All-Tournament Team for his three-day performance (11.7 ppg). Flenard Whitfield scored five points before fouling out for the second-straight game but the junior forward did all his work on the glass, hauling down a career high 13 boards.
Western Michigan will travel back to Kalamazoo to celebrate the holidays before hosting Eastern Illinois at University Arena on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. Fans can listen to the action on the Bronco Radio Network and watch live by subscribing to Bronco Insider.
