AKRON, Ohio - The Western Michigan men's basketball team showed a stout defensive effort in the first half, but were unable to crack a tough Akron defense as the Broncos fell 65-43 to the Zips at James A. Rhodes Arena.  With the loss, the Broncos fall to 8-6 on the season, 0-1 in Mid-American Conference play.

The game started as a defensive battle, with neither team shooting better than 30 percent from the field in the first half, or breaking the double-digit scoring barrier until the 11:17 mark of the first half.  Akron heated up at the outset of the second period, though, and the Broncos struggled to get uncontested shots against the tough Zips defense.

Austin Richie led the way offensively for the Broncos, scoring 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field.  Darius Paul finished with six points and six rebounds, and senior David Brown came off the bench to notch five points in 15 minutes of play.

The teams battled back and forth through the first media timeout, with neither able to muster much offense due to stout defensive efforts.  The Broncos trailed 4-1 early, but Richie knocked down a wide-open three-pointer from the right corner at the 16:05 mark to tie the score at four points apiece. Nate Hutcheson tied the score at 6-6 with a put-back of a  Paul lay-up minutes later.

Shayne Whittington would get in on the act a few minutes later, throwing down a dunk after the Broncos fed him on the back of a full court press at the 13:16 mark, and Hutcheson drained a triple from the left corner to tie things at 13.  The Zips began to pull away, embarking on an 11-3 run to take a two-possession lead with 2:54 left in the half.  Paul wrapped the scoring for the Broncos in the half with a lay-up with 28 seconds remaining in the half, but the Broncos entered the break down 25-19.

The second half saw the Zips open on a hot streak, with Brian Walsh draining an open three to start the half and making a 15-footer less than a minute later to extend Akron's lead to double-digits.  Darius Paul would stop the bleeding with a dunk at the 16:51 mark, and Richie would force the issue with lay-ups on three consecutive possessions, driving to the hoop and pulling the Broncos closer to within 14 points. 

However, the Zips were not to be caught.  Akron shot 56.7 percent from the field in the second half, and led by as many as 25 points after Pat Forsythe made a free throw with 3:43 remaining in the half.  Taylor Perry pulled the Broncos to within 20 points with a fast break lay-up at the 1:00 mark, but the Zips closed out for the win.