KALAMAZOO, Mich. – In a back and forth contest the Western Michigan men's basketball fell to USC Upstate 71-66 on Saturday afternoon inside University Arena, the first home loss of the season for the Broncos.

The Brown & Gold got a stellar performance from senior Seth Dugan who notched his third straight double-double and fifth of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Despite foul trouble early in the first half, Dugan dominated the second half scoring 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field.

For the game the Otsego, Mich., native was 7-of-14 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line. Dugan in 23 minutes had seven offensive rebounds along with one assist and two blocks. On the season the senior center is averaging 19 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Ranking second on the team in scoring was sophomore Kawanise Wilkins with 14 points along with eight rebounds. It's the fourth time this season Wilkins has scored in double figures.
Fellow sophomore Michael Flowers scored in double figures for the fifth time in the last six games with 13 points. Flowers also had five rebounds and four assists while going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.

As a team WMU shot just 35 percent from the field and was 3-of-21 from three-point range. The Broncos went to the free-throw line early and often on Saturday, going 21-of-32 from the charity stripe. Heading into the game the Broncos ranked 26^th in the NCAA in free-throws made and 29^th in free-throw attempts.

With the loss, WMU drops its overall record to 4-4 and 2-1 inside University Arena. The Broncos begin a three-game road swing next Saturday, Dec. 8 at Youngstown State. WMU then travels to Big Ten Conference power Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 15 before concluding the trip on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at Dayton.

It was a battle for both teams to score in the first half as neither team shot the ball early until WMU went on a 9-0 run to capture a 17-8 lead at the 7:45 mark. USC Upstate clawed their way back and tied the game at 24-24 with three minutes left and took a one-point lead after a 9-0 run.

Down the stretch the Spartans made their final six field goals as the two teams were tied at 30-30 heading into halftime. WMU shot just 40.7 percent from the field in the first half compared to USC Upstate's 50 percent.
After sitting much of the first half in foul trouble Dugan raced out of the gate in the second half, scoring the first nine points for the Brown & Gold. WMU held a 48-39 lead midway through the second half before the Bronco offense stalled, not making a field goal for nearly five minutes.

During the offensive woes, USC Upstate roared back and tied the game at 53-53 with five minutes remaining. Late in the second half the Spartans made five of six field goals to grab a 65-62 advantage with two minutes remaining.
After Flowers knocked down two free-throws with 1:30 left to cut the deficit to one, USC Upstate's Deion Holmes drilled a corner three with the shot clock winding down to give the Spartans a four-point lead.

Western Michigan trailing by three with 13 seconds left had a chance to tie the game. On the ensuing inbound from under the basket, junior Jared Printy got the ball to Flowers in the corner for a three that rattled off the rim. USC Upstate made two free-throws late to clinch the 71-66 victory.