ANN ARBOR, Mich.- Western Michigan trailed by just two at halftime, 26-24, but a cold spell in the second half allowed Michigan take control of the game en route to a 66-40 Wolverine victory.

Michigan was the second-straight Big Ten opponent for Western Michigan which took No. 21-ranked Michigan State into overtime this past Friday before falling 68-64.

Western Michigan started off hot against the Wolverines, jumping out to an early 6-2 lead. WMU and Michigan were neck-and-neck through the opening 20 minutes and the Broncos trailed by just two at halftime, 26-24. Senior Marley Hill led WMU in the first half with nine points and three rebounds while sophomore Breanna Mobley tallied six points and three boards.

Western Michigan hit a cold spell out of the break and struggled to get back into an offensive rhythm. Michigan used the first five minutes of the second half to create its first distance of the game, building a 10-point lead. WMU called a timeout, but still couldn't get back on track. Michigan out-scored WMU 23-9 in the third quarter, putting the Broncos in a deficit they could not recover from.

"We got them to play a pace we thought was certainly to our advantage in the first 20 minutes, but they are a team that is hard to hold down," said WMU head coach Shane Clipfell. "When we couldn't make a shot, their transition became a whole lot better and they kind of steam-rolled us from there."

Both Hill and Mobley were held to two points each in the second half and after producing five points in the first half, senior Meredith Shipman was held scoreless in the final two quarters. Hill finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, both of which were team highs. Mobley ended with eight points. Sophomore Logan McCane came off the bench to score all seven of WMU's points in the fourth quarter.

WMU shot 42.3 percent in the first half and just 20 percent in the second. Michigan improved its shooting from 37.5 percent in the first half to 48.5 percent in the second.

The Wolverines (4-0), who are ranked just outside the top 25 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll (unofficially #27), were led by senior Siera Thompson's 16 points. Katelynn Flaherty had 15 points and Hallie Thome chipped in 11.

"We knew these last two games (against Michigan State and Michigan) were going to be really tough games," Clipfell said. "For 65 minutes of the 85 minutes we played these two teams we showed that we can stand there and go toe-to-toe with some really good opponents."

Western Michigan (1-2) heads to Kansas City for its next two games, playing in the UMKC Plaza Lights Classic, Nov. 25 & 26. The Broncos face host UMKC in game one on Friday before taking on Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. Both tip-offs are scheduled for 2 p.m.