YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team nearly came back from a double-digit deficit to put a scare into Eastern Michigan on the road, but the Broncos fell just short in losing 69-63 to the Eagles at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 13-8 on the season, 4-4 in Mid-American Conference play.
Four Broncos reached double-figures in scoring, with Tucker Haymond and David Brown tying for the team-high with 14 points apiece. Connar Tava recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds while also contributing four assists and two steals, and Drake LaMont tied his career-high with 11 points in 29 minutes of action. The Broncos shot at a respectable clip against the Eagles, finishing with a 43.2 field goal percentage, but the Eagles shot well above their season average from the three-point line – including a 5-of-11 mark in the second half – to take down the Broncos.
The two defenses controlled the tempo at the start of the game, with the Eagles opening on a 6-2 run that only included one field goal made. Things loosened up as time went on, though, and the Broncos came back from a seven-point deficit to take a 24-22 lead thanks to an 11-2 run late in the half. Drake LaMont got things started with a jumper from the free throw line to make it 20-15, and Thomas Wilder drained a pair of free throws at the 5:46 mark to cut the deficit to just three points.
WMU completed the comeback on the next offensive possession when Brown buried a three-pointer from the deep left wing, and the Broncos took a 24-22 lead with 2:48 remaining when LaMont banked a hook shot from 12 feet out. The teams traded possessions back and forth for the remainder of the half, with Brown tying it up at the break with two free throw makes with 1.3 seconds remaining.
The Eagles opened the second half with a run to take a 40-35 lead, but Tucker Haymond countered that with a three-pointer from the left corner after taking an accurate pass from LaMont from the high post. Wilder finished off the 6-0 run with a triple of his own, draining one from the right corner to make it 41-40 with 13:45 remaining in the second half. LaMont tacked on with a hook shot to make it a three-point game, but the Eagles quickly countered when Mike Talley completed a four-point play, making a three from the corner while being fouled by Wilder to make it 44-43.
EMU took a 54-49 lead with 8:25 to go in regulation thanks to a three-pointer by Raven Lee from the right wing, and the advantage reached 64-54 after Lee knocked down another trey from the wing with 3:48 to go. Mike Talley kept it a 10-point advantage with a drive and lay-up at the 2:23 mark, but the Broncos pulled it back to within two possessions when Brown made three free throws to cut it to 66-61. The Eagles held their opponent at arms' length the rest of the game, though, holding on for the 69-63 win.
