KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Western Michigan led by as many as nine against Kent State but 24 points from
Flenard Whitfield, including a flurry of six points in the final 1:09 of the first half could not lift the Broncos to their fourth-straight victory, falling 74-72 at University Arena on Monday night.
WMU led by as many as seven with 4:27 to play, but the Flashes outscored the Broncos 13-4 the rest of the way. Whitfield paced the Broncos offensively with 24 points and 8 rebounds, while Demetrius Ward extended his double figure scoring streak to 11 games with 19 points. Matt Stainbrook added 8 points and 8 rebounds for the Brown & Gold. The loss drops WMU into a first-place tie with Ball State in the MAC West at 7-5 in conference play, 15-11 overall.
Porrini paced the Flashes with 19 points, scoring nine of the Flashes last 14 points. Rodriguez Sherman (14), Justin Greene (14), Carlton Guyton (12) and Randal Holt (11) also reached double figures for the Flashes, who improved to 18-9 overall and 9-3 in conference play.
WMU looked ready to close out the Flashes as Ward heated up in the second half. The junior guard scored 12 points after the break, with most of those coming off foul shots earned driving the lane. Ward finished 7-of-9 from the line on the night, as the Broncos shot 73.7 percent from the charity stripe as a team (14-of-19).
However, Porrini and company proved to be too much in the game's deciding run. With WMU clinging to a 70-69 lead after a pair of Ward free throws, Porrini drove the lane and threw in a one-handed runner from the right block, drawing the foul and converting the free throw for a 72-70 Flashes lead with 1:06 to play. WMU responded by going to Whitfield, who caught an entry feed in the high post and drove down the left of the lane for a lay-in to tie the score with 48 seconds to play. It was the last points of the night for Whitfield, who reached 20 points for the third time in his last five games.
The Broncos forced a Moore miss on the other end, but Porrini raced in to grab the offensive rebound. Off a timeout, Porrini got the ball off a swing pass from Sherman, pulled up just inside the three-point line and sank the jumper for a 74-72 lead with two seconds remaining. The resulting desperation inbounds pass was intercepted by Holt to seal the victory.
The highlight of the night for the Broncos came in a 9-0 run over the last 1:09 of the first half. Trailing 34-32, Whitfield hit a 12-foot jumper to tie the score. After a defensive stop, Ward drove the lane and drew the foul, converting the free throw for the old-fashioned three-point play. That set up a highlight reel dunk by Whitfield, who stole the ball, outraced three defenders and elevated from just inside the free-throw line for an authoritative one-handed flush that seemed to come from out of the rafters. A block by Juwan Howard Jr. set up a run-out in the closing seconds, with Whitfield hustling downcourt to tip in a missed shot at the buzzer to bring the crowd of 2,363 to its feet.
After a first half that saw WMU shoot 48.5 percent from the field (16-of-33), the Flashes tightened up defensively by switching to a zone defense that held the Broncos to just 37 percent shooting in the second half (10-of-27). That, combined with a 51.7 percent effort by the Flashes from the field in the second half (15-of-29) helped swing the game in their favor. Kent State also outscored the Broncos 44-32 in the paint and 21-11 off the bench.
WMU will look to bounce back as it returns to MAC West play against Toledo for a 7 p.m. tip-off Wednesday night at University Arena. Live coverage will be provided on the Bronco Radio Network and Bronco Insider.
Flenard Whitfield's Dunk
