Box Score KENT, Ohio- For the second time this year the Western Michigan men's basketball team fell in a hard-fought overtime contest to defending Mid-American Conference regular-season champion Kent State. The Broncos were looking to avenge an 87-84 OT loss in Kalamazoo on Jan. 5, but suffered the same fate against the Golden Flashes Tuesday in Ohio, this time an 85-78 final.

WMU sophomore point guard Thomas Wilder scored the game-tying bucket with 1.3 seconds left in regulation and matched Kent State's Galal Cancer with a game-high 24 points.

Kent State outscored WMU 13-6 in the extra period of play, holding the Broncos to 1-of-6 from the floor.

"We had a great effort and we'll keep coming back," said WMU head coach Steve Hawkins. "Our guys are resilient and even though we haven't gotten a few of these results, we are going to keep at it over the next five games and into the MAC Tournament. We made really good adjustments from the first game to tonight, rebounded well and didn't turn the ball over, but we just didn't get it done."

Western Michigan trailed 42-36 at halftime and bounced between a four and nine-point deficit much of the second half. With five minutes left in regulation, Wilder ignited a 7-0 run to give WMU its first lead, 64-63, since the opening minutes of the game. The Broncos inched ahead by as many as four points after a tip-in by Anthony Avery Jr. with 2:40 left. Kent State responded with a pair of back-to-back three pointers.

With 24 seconds on the clock, Kent State's Khaliq Spicer sank a jumper to give his team a 72-70 lead. Following a timeout, Wilder drove to the rim with under two seconds and converted in heavy traffic to knot the score at 72-72.

Western Michigan never led in overtime but had the game to within one possession in the final 30 seconds, 81-78, after freshman Bryce Moore made two trips to the free throw line and connected on 3-of-4.

Kent State entered the matchup averaging a league-low 5.1 three-pointers per game during MAC contests, but got hot behind the arc against the Broncos. The Golden Flashes connected on eight first half three's, including four from Cancer, who led all scorers at the half with 16. Bronco junior Kellen McCormick did his best to counter, burying three triples off the bench for WMU.

Western Michigan had strong play inside in the first half, owning a 20-8 advantage, and used turnovers to outscore the Flashes 9-0. With four minutes remaining in the half, Wilder came up with a steal and threw down a dunk over a Kent State defender. He was fouled on the play and sank the free throw to tie the game at 34-34. Kent State responded with an 8-2 run to lead by six at halftime.

"They (Kent State) shot the ball well tonight, which we haven't seen a lot of all year," Hawkins said. "We made adjustments at halftime and slowed them down there in the second half, but the game was won at the free-throw line, where they hit five more than us and behind the three-point line."

Kent State made a season-high 13 three-pointers on 26 attempts and shot 45.8 percent from the field. Western Michigan shot 45.5 percent but was 5-for-17 from behind the arc.

Avery was just shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Junior Tucker Haymond had 11 points and eight rebounds and McCormick finished with 11 points. Wilder also had five rebounds and three steals.

Kent State improved to 11-2 at home this season and its record to 17-9 overall and 8-5 in the conference. WMU fell to 10-16 and 4-9 in the MAC.

WMU returns home to face rival Central Michigan at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 20 and closes out the month with games at Eastern Michigan (2/23) and Northern Illinois (2/27).

Fans can purchase a NO CHIPS special for Saturday's contest against Central Michigan, which is a $20 value for only $12. The special must be purchased in advance of game day and includes a ticket, hot dog, popcorn and fountain drink - NO CHIPS.