Pregame Notes

• This is the 16th meeting between Western Michigan and Buffalo, with the Broncos holding the 10-6 advantage in the all-time series.  However, the Bulls took the meeting earlier this year, winning 79-68 at University Arena on Jan. 25.  WMU head coach Steve Hawkins in 5-5 in his meeting with Buffalo.
• In the Broncos' previous meeting with the Bulls this season, there were three WMU players that posted 20+ points.  Flenard Whitfield, Demetrius Ward, and Juwan Howard Jr. all registered 21 points, with Whitfield also adding nine rebounds.
• The Broncos are 6-1 in their past seven games, with the sole loss coming to eventual MAC champion Akron in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament.  Of those six wins, five were by more than 10 points.
• In the Broncos' 74-66 win over Tennessee Tech in the first round of the CIT, five WMU players reached double-digits in scoring: Ward (15), Howard (13), Whitfield (11), Nate Hutcheson (11), and Matt Stainbrook (11).  It was the fourth time this season that five WMU players reached double figures in scoring
• WMU is 2-1 in postseason games hosted at University Arena.

First Half Notes

• WMU entered the locker room at halftime leading the game 26-23.
• The Broncos began on the game on a modest 6-2 run, with Stainbrook opening the proceedings on a lay-up.  Stainbrook would add a jumper just over a minute later, and Whitfield registered a lay-up with a superb leaping play to tip in an errant shot.  The Bulls countered with an 12-0 run that was capped with a Javon McCrea free throw.
• WMU endured a scoring drought from the 16:23 mark until 9:23, when Whitfield hit a jumper to make it 18-10.  It would be the start of a 15-4 run that saw Caleb Dean tie the score at 18-18.  The run included eight points from Alex Wolf, six of which came on three-pointers.
• The Broncos shot 11-for-23 (.475) in the first half, compared to a 10-for-30 (.333) performance from the Bulls.  Rebounds were tied at 17 apiece.  Buffalo was just 1-for-7 (.143) from three-range, while the Broncos were 2-for-4 (.500).  Neither team shot particularly well from the free throw line; WMU was 2-for-5 (.400) and Buffalo was 2-for-8 (.250).
• Wolf led the team in points with 10, the only player on either team to reach double figures in the first half.
• Hutcheson, Whitfield, and Stainbrook each had three rebounds.  Two of Whitfield's rebounds came on the offensive glass.
• Mike Douglas had five assists.

Second Half Notes

• The second half was fairly back-and-forth early on, but the Broncos posted a 9-3 run that started at the 15:45 mark.  Wolf added another three-point shot, and Stainbrook added back-to-back lay-ups.  It gave the Broncos their largest lead of the afternoon at nine points, with the score 41-32 at the 11:09 mark.
• WMU withstood yet another long scoring drought, going without a field goal from the 11:09 mark until the 4:21 mark; again, though, Whitfield snapped the drought, hitting a lay-up then slamming home an emphatic dunk on the next possesson.

Postgame Notes

• The Broncos conclude the season with a 21-13 record, ending the eighth 20-win season in program history and the fourth under Coach Hawkins.
• The Broncos shot 20-for-49 (.408) from the field, but were just 3-for-12 (.250) from three-point range.
• Wolf played his final game in a Broncos uniform, registering career-highs in field goal attempts (9) and field goals made (5).  He finished with a game-high 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point range.
• Whitfield had 12 points and five rebounds.
• Stainbrook finished with eight points and nine rebounds.