YPSILANTI, Mich. -The Western Michigan men's basketball team claimed its largest Mid-American Conference win, in terms of margin of victory, since Jan. 23, 2010 in the Broncos' 87-60 win at Eastern Michigan on Sunday afternoon. WMU had five players score in double figures for the fourth time this season led by Flenard Whitfield's 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
The work was done down low and on the glass as Western Michigan hauled down 44 rebounds, 34 on the defensive end, to Eastern Michigan's 31. The Broncos also pounded the glass with the basketball, scoring 42 of their 87 points in the paint. The Eagles managed just 16 points down low and went almost exclusively to the three point field goal in the second half, making only a pair of two-point field goals.
Whitfield scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half all while defending the MAC's second leading scorer in Brandon Bowdry. Even though Bowdry ended up with 16 points and 10 rebounds, much of that came late and from the free throw line. He had four points and five boards at halftime.
Western Michigan scored the game's first five points on a Whitfield jumper 12 seconds into the game and a three pointer from Nate Hutcheson at the 17:48 mark. The Broncos opened up a 9-2 lead at the 14:14 mark on a Stainbrook, finishing with 15 points and eight rebounds, 18-foot jumper but EMU scored the game's next five points to cut WMU's lead to two on a Bowdry break away dunk. It was the closest the Eagles would get the rest of the way.
Holding an 18-12 lead at the 9:31 mark of the first half, Western Michigan scored 10-straight points to open up a double-digit lead for the first time. Whitfield was the run 10-point run, scoring all but two of the Broncos' points during it. The lead bounced back and forth between 12 and 14 points over the next 90 seconds but then the Broncos went on a 14-4 run to end the first half.
Unlike Toledo, Western Michigan remained focused after the break and kept its foot on the gas. Eastern Michigan scored three-point field goals three times over the first four minutes of the second half but by that time WMU had busted the game open, reaching a 30-point lead twice. Hutcheson scored at the 17:26 mark to give WMU a 53-23 lead and Mike Douglas knocked down a free throw at the 16:48 mark to push it back to 30 for a second time.
Douglas, who finished with 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting, was a perfect 5-for-5 from the line, had a career-high five steals and recorded nine assists against just one turnover for the second game in a row.
Juwan Howard Jr. scored 11 points off the bench for his 13th double-digit scoring game of the season and not to be seen as a footnote but Demetrius Ward scored 11 points, giving him 10 or more points in 13-straight games and in 13 of 14 MAC games.
Western Michigan grabbed its largest lead of the game at the 9:18 mark with Whitfield made two free throws, putting the Broncos up 73-33. After Darrell Lampley's three pointer at the 15:57 mark Eastern Michigan did not make another field goal until Bowdry hit a three from the top of the key with 7:27 remaining.
The Broncos have won seven of their last nine and look for their fourth win streak of three games or more on Wednesday, March 2 against Ball State at 7 p.m. at University Arena. Senior Night will begin with the Broncos honoring Alex Wolf and could end with so much more.
