KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Sophomore point guard Thomas Wilder hit a game-tying three with 12.9 seconds left in regulation to force overtime but Kent State would come out on top in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams, defeating Western Michigan, 87-84, Tuesday at University Arena.

Wilder led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting, going 8-for-9 from two-point range. His only make (1-for-6) from long range was the triple to force overtime. He also added six rebounds and four assists.

Western Michigan fought back from a 12-point deficit with 10:46 remaining to take a 73-71 lead with 1:36 left in the game after six straight points from Wilder. Kent State's Xavier Pollard hit a jumper to knot the score at 73 and Marvin Jones drilled a three from the wing with 32 seconds to go to put KSU up, 76-73. The Broncos advanced the ball across half court and called timeout, setting up a three from the left wing by Wilder.

Kent State started off overtime on an 8-2 run putting WMU in a six-point deficit, 84-78, the Broncos would not recover from.

Turnovers were costly in the Western Michigan loss, as the team committed 19 in the contest, its second-highest total of the year. Kent State converted those miscues into 28 points.

Kent State had just eight turnovers and shot 45.8 percent from the floor. WMU connected on 44.3 percent of its shots and took 25 three-pointers, making eight (32%).

"It was another ball game in the MAC," said WMU head coach Steve Hawkins. "We knew coming in what the keys to the game were. We had to limit our turnovers, keep them out of transition and keep them off the glass.

"We had 19 turnovers - they had 28 points off our turnovers. And we gave up 16 points off of their offensive rebounds. That was the ball game."

Western Michigan led the rebounding total 23-14 at halftime, keeping the Broncos within one at the break, trailing 38-37. Kent State only had five offensive rebounds in the first half, however went on to total nine the rest of the game and outscored WMU on second-chance points, 16-11.

Four players scored in double figures for the Golden Flashes, led by Jimmy Hall with 21 points and seven rebounds. The defending MAC regular-season champions improved their overall record to 10-4 and start conference play 1-0.

Western Michigan got 18 points and eight rebounds from junior guard Tucker Haymond and 16 points from junior Kellen McCormick. Haymond struggled at times from the floor, going 4-for-15 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

Senior forward Anthony Avery Jr. was just shy of a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds and nine points. It was his second double-digit rebounding total in as many games after hauling in a career-high 14 boards against Jacksonville this past Saturday. Senior Taylor Perry grabbed nine rebounds.

Western Michigan (6-8, 0-1 MAC) heads to Akron (12-2, 1-0 MAC) Friday, Jan. 8 for a 7 p.m. tip-off on ESPNU. The Zips downed Buffalo on the road to open their conference schedule Tuesday, 75-71.