SPOKANE, Wash. - The Western Michigan men's basketball team gave a ranked opponent
everything it could handle for 20 minutes, but were ultimately unable to
take control of the ballgame in falling 78-58 to the 19th-ranked
Gonzaga Bulldogs at Spokane Arena on Saturday. With the loss, the Broncos conclude their season-opening road swing 0-6.
The Broncos used a 9-0 run late in the first half to put a scare into the hometown Bulldogs, cutting Gonzaga's lead to 30-28 with 3:44 remaining in the first half. Though Gonzaga would pull away in the second half, the Broncos' offense continued to chip away at the Bulldogs, shooting 50.0 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes. Where the Broncos lost control of the contest was the turnover battle; WMU turned the ball over 22 times, which resulted in 25 points gained for Gonzaga.
The Broncos were led offensively by Matt Stainbrook, who finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds, and one assist. David Brown came off the bench to provide some punch as well, added eight points, three rebounds, and one block.
The Broncos went toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs for much of the first half; despite the fact the Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-4 lead to start the game, the Broncos did not seem discouraged and battled away. Trailing 21-11 with 11:04 remaining in the first half, Flenard Whitfield scored on a layup to cut the lead to eight points, then proceeded to grab a defensive rebound on the next possession, which resulted in David Brown draining a three-pointer to make it 21-16.
Brown would hit another three in the first half, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 30-22 with 6:48 remaining in the half. That three sparked an extended 9-0 run for the Broncos in which WMU held Gonzaga without a field goal for a seven-minute span. The run was capped when Brown was fouled while leaping for a defensive rebound. Brown drained a pair of free throws to make it 30-28 with 3:44 remaining in the half.
The Bulldogs caught fire in the second half, though, converting 57.1 percent of their shot attempts and taking advantage of Broncos turnovers; although the Broncos shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half, Gonzaga was able to take 10 more shots, and outscored the Broncos 15-3 on points from turnovers.
The Broncos will return to action on Wednesday night when they play their home opener against Hope College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at University Arena.
