With WMU leading 66-57 with 6:26 to play, the Titans fought back with a 9-0 run to tie the game over the next 4:15 to knot the score at 66 apiece. Capping the run were two thunderous two-handed put-back dunks by Eli Holman and LaMarcus Lowe.
The Broncos were able to respond, with Mike Douglas drawing the foul and hitting a pair of clutch free throws to put the Broncos back up by two. The Broncos then forced the Titans into a miss by Ray McCallum with the shot-clock winding down. A key offensive rebound by Muhammed Conteh set up a wide-open three for Douglas at the other end, which he drained from the top of the key to put the Broncos up 71-66 with 57 seconds left. The free throws and three for Douglas capped a great effort by the junior guard, who scored a career-high 14 points and dished out six assists while only committing one turnover.
Titans guard Jason Calliste then hit a tough one-handed leaner in traffic and converted the bonus free throw to draw the Titans back within a bucket at 71-69 with 45 seconds left. Tough Titans defensive pressure forced WMU into a turnover, giving them a chance to tie or take the lead with 12 seconds left.
That's when the Bronco defense buckled down. Flenard Whitfield blocked a running lay-up attempt from the baseline out of bounds with three seconds to play. The ensuing inbounds pass was knocked away by Whitfield, with Demetrius Ward running down the loose ball in the corner to secure the win for the Brown & Gold, their second in a row. Defense was a key to the Broncos' effort all night, with WMU forcing the Titans into 15 turnovers, blocking six shots and holding the Titans to 43.5 percent shooting (27-of-62).
WMU once again rode a balanced scoring effort to the victory, as five Broncos scored in double figures. The Broncos were paced by Douglas and Nate Hutcheson with 14 points apiece, while Ward and Whitfield each added 11 and David Brown chipped in with a season-high 10 points. The balanced scoring by the Broncos has been an early-season theme for the team, with three or more Broncos reaching double-figures in each game. This was the first time WMU had five scorers in double-digits this season.
The Titans were paced by McCallum, a freshman guard who scored 19 points on 7-14 shooting, including a blistering 4-5 from beyond the arc. Former WMU forward Lowe also turned in a solid effort against his former school and teammates, scoring 12 points on 5-7 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks.
It was a game of runs for both teams all night. After falling behind by two with 9:09 to go in the first half, WMU outscored the Titans 15-2 over the next 7:36 to take a 31-20 lead. Ward went on a personal 8-0 run during the stretch with a pair of threes in transition and a pull-up jumper from the elbow. Brown also ripped off a 5-0 run during this stretch with a pair of free throws and a long three from the top of the key. The Titans responded to pull their deficit to six at halftime, outscoring the Broncos 7-2 over the last 1:33 of the half.
WMU opened up a lead as large as 12 points in the second half, but the Titans rallied to tie the game at 48 behind the scoring of McCallum, who led all scorers with 19 points, and Chase Simon, who scored 18 points. Brown hit a big three to put the Broncos ahead at 51-48, and the teams traded buckets for several minutes before Hutcheson heated up. In a span of three minutes, Hutcheson scored on an offensive rebound, hit an open three from the wing, added a short jumper, made a leaping block on a fast-break opportunity and raced downcourt to spot up for an open three, which he hit to give WMU a 66-57 lead before the deciding stretch.
When WMU was able to get out and run, the Broncos were able to capitalize on their opportunities, outscoring the Titans 22-8 on the fast break. WMU shot 49.1 percent for the game (27-for-55), including 44.4 percent from three, hitting 8-of-18 from beyond the arc.
WMU will look to extend its winning streak to three when the team travels to Atlanta for a Saturday-night matchup with the Georgia State Panthers. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. (ET) with live coverage on the Bronco Radio Network and live video available through Bronco Insider.
