KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan men's basketball team improved to 18-11 overall and 9-7 in the Mid-American Conference with an 80-72 win over visiting Eastern Michigan (17-12, 6-10 MAC) Saturday at University Arena.
The victory was fueled by freshman center
Drake LaMont and freshman point guard
Thomas Wilder, as the two combined to score 50 of the Broncos' 80 points. Lamont dominated down low, totaling a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 12-for-15 from the floor. It was his second double-double of the season and his 10 boards also tied a career high.
Wilder pitched in 23 points, doing a majority of his work at the free throw line. Wilder was a perfect 16-for-16 from the stripe, setting a new school record for most free throws made in a single game without a miss.
The Broncos did a good job distributing the ball, recording 15 assists on 23 made baskets. Junior guard
Taylor Perry led the team with a career-high eight assists.
With LaMont controlling the paint on both ends, Eastern Michigan had to go to the outside to produce points. The Eagles made 24 shots in the game and 12 of those were three-pointers. Raven Lee hit five three's and led four Eagles in double figures with 26 points.
The Broncos shot 45.5 percent in the first half and led 35-28 at the break. The Broncos held as much as a 13-point advantage with 14:46 left in the first.
After closing the gap, Eastern Michigan briefly led by three with 9:31 left in the second half. Western Michigan pulled back in front with four straight points from Lamont. The Eagles remained within a single possession over the next few minutes, until a technical foul and an ejection of EMU head coach Rob Murphy sent Wilder to the line for four consecutive free throws with 3:31 remaining. The Broncos held a seven-point cushion, 66-59, after the Wilder free throws and managed the game to close out the win.
Western Michigan has two games left on the regular season schedule, first traveling to Northern Illinois on March 3 for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off. The Broncos host Central Michigan in the regular season finale, Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m.
