COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Western Michigan men's basketball team stood toe-to-toe with the #24 Missouri Tigers on the road on Sunday, but the Tigers held off a late Bronco charge to defeat WMU 66-60 at Mizzou Arena. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 5-4 on the season.
David Brown scored a game-high 18 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the floor, as well as a 7-of-8 performance from the free throw line. Shayne Whittington recorded his fifth double-double of the season by posting 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Taylor Perry set the game-high with 11 rebounds against the Tigers. Connar Tava also added 10 points, doing so in 24 minutes.
For the second straight game the Broncos struggled on the offensive side of the court, shooting just 21-of-70 (.300) from the floor despite forcing 14 Missouri turnovers. The Broncos were out-rebounded 40-36 by the Tigers, but grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and out-scored Missouri 12-4 in second-chance points. WMU also led in points off turnovers, out-scoring the Tigers 13-6.
The Broncos rallied back from a nine-point deficit at the half, cutting into the Tigers' lead and very nearly overtaking their home-standing opponents. Whittington scored four of the first six points of the second half to slash the Tigers' lead to just 33-26, and Austin Richie knocked down a long two-point jumper from the elbow to make it a five-point game with 18:03 to play. Richie made it just a two-point game less than a minute later when he stepped into a three from the right wing to make it 35-33 at the 17:12 mark, but Missouri responded with a buckets from Earnest Ross and Jordan Clarkson to up the lead to six points. The teams went two minutes without a point until the Broncos pulled to within four points on a lay-up from Brown, and Tava made it 39-37 with 13:47 to play by driving with his right hand for the lay-up.
Charles Harris kept the deficit at two points with a three-pointer from the right wing to make it 47-45 with 10:48 to play, but Missouri embarked on an 11-1 run to take a 58-46 lead with under eight minutes to play. Whittington cut the lead to single-digits for good with a jumper with 6:14 to play, and Brown made it a six-point game with a lay-up at the 4:35 mark. Brown made a pair of free throws down the stretch t ocut the lead to five points, and Tava went around end for a dunk with 24 seconds remaining to make it 65-60. However, the Tigers played keep away well enough to halt the Broncos' progress, taking the game 66-60.
The first half saw the Broncos actually briefly hold the lead against the Tigers, with Whittington making the game's opening basket on a 15-foot baseline jumper and Brown draining a three from the right corner to take a 5-3 lead with 18:47 to play in the half. Missouri used a 16-3 run to take a 19-9 lead on the Broncos with just under 11 minutes to play in the half, but the Broncos battled back to cut the lead to six points after Brown made a pair of free throws after being fouled by Ross. Whittington hit a reverse scoop-shot lay-up to make it 21-15 with 6:19 to play in the half, and AJ Avery nailed a 15-footer on the baseline to cut the lead to just four points. Brown drove a fast break and laid it in with 2:12 to play in the half to make it just a 24-22 game, but the Tigers scored the final seven points of the half to take a 31-22 advantage into the locker room.
