KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Western Michigan University's men's basketball team overcame an 11-point deficit early in the half with inspired play off the bench and hot shooting to defeat Illinois State 68-65 on Bracket Buster Saturday in front of 3,066 fans at University Arena.
WMU used a 7-0 run to keep themselves within striking distance and an 8-0 run to eventually regain the lead in the second half, holding on late to improve to 15-10 on the season. Despite nursing an injured ankle, Flenard Whitfield came off the bench to provide the Broncos with a much-needed spark, scoring eight points, grabbing five rebounds and coming away with two steals, all in the second half. Senior Alex Wolf also provided a spark off the bench for the Brown & Gold, scoring 12 points and hitting 3-of-4 three-point attempts. Demetrius Ward led all scorers with 14 points and Matt Stainbrook added 12 for the Broncos. WMU is now 7-3 in games decided by one possession this season.
Illinois State was paced by Austin Hill, who scored 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting. Justin Clark added 11 points and Jon Ekey reached double figures with 10 points for the Redbirds, who fell to 11-17 on the season.
The Redbirds appeared to be taking control of the game early in the second half. With WMU trailing 39-30, Whitfield stole an entry pass and appeared to finish a fast break with a thunderous slam dunk. However, the ball hit Whitfield on the head and popped back through the hoop. Play was allowed to continue, and the loose ball fell into the hands of the Redbirds, who converted at the other end to take their largest lead of the game, 41-30, with 15:48 to play. It was eventually determined by replay that the ball hadn't passed completely through the rim on Whitfield's dunk attempt.
However, the Broncos were able to rally. Wolf found Nate Hutcheson for a wide-open three and followed with a three of his own to put a dent in the Redbird lead. A free throw by Hutcheson brought the Broncos within 41-37 with 12:46 to play, but the Redbirds were able to keep the Brown & Gold from getting closer for the next couple minutes. In addition to his hot shooting, Wolf dished out four assists. Wolf, Whitfield and Caleb Dean (6 points) combined to outscore the Redbird bench 26-24.
Trailing 48-41 with 10:21 to play, the Broncos went back to work. Back-to-back threes by Ward and Wolf pulled WMU within one. Ward reached double figures for the tenth straight game and 19th time this season with his 14-point effort. WMU hit 7-of-18 three-point attempts (38.9 percent) on the afternoon.
Whitfield gave the Broncos its first lead of the half with a lay-up to cap an 8-0 run and 49-48. From the time Whitfield entered the game for the first time with 17:01 to play, WMU outscored the Redbirds 40-26 through the rest of the contest.
Neither team would lead by more than two until the closing minutes. Whitfield gave WMU a 63-59 lead on a jumper off the glass from the elbow with 2:55 to play. Tony Lewis hit a pair of free throws to cut the Bronco lead in half, but Ward answered with a pull-up jumper to make it 65-61 with 2:02 to play. Once again, the Redbirds countered with a pair of free throws, this time by Hill.
WMU had a chance to put the game away at the line late, but missed three of its next four attempts from the line, as the Redbirds pulled within one. With the game clock under 10 seconds, the Bronco defense was able to knock the ball away from Hill on the drive. Ward dove on the floor for the loose ball, calling timeout before he could be tied up for a jump ball. Off the timeout, Ward sank both free throws, and the defense was able to keep the Redbirds from getting a shot up as time expired.
The Broncos hot shooting in the second half was able to make up for cold shooting from the field early. WMU hit 56 percent of its field goal attempts in the second half on 14-of-25 shooting, including 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from distance. The Broncos shot 43.6 percent (24-of-55) on the afternoon, while the Redbirds shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49).
An even contest early swung in favor of the Redbirds late in the first half. After a feed from Stainbrook to Howard down the lane gave WMU an 18-16 lead with 6:33 to play, the Redbirds responded with a 15-3 run over the next 4:16 to take a 31-21 lead. A Wolf three was accounted for the only Bronco points in the run. A Stainbrook block in the closing seconds kept the halftime deficit from being any worse than 33-26.
WMU will have a quick turnaround when it hosts Kent State Monday night at 7:00 p.m. Live coverage will be provided by the Bronco Radio Network and Bronco Insider.
