KENT, Ohio –  Western Michigan men's basketball trailed by as many as 18 in the second half and cut the lead down to four with just over 10 minutes remaining before its rally fell short, dropping an 88-73 decision at Kent State on Tuesday night.

The Broncos had three players play over 30 minutes against the Golden Flashes with all three scoring in double figures. The trio was led by sophomore Michael Flowers with 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field.

The sophomore guard has scored in double figures in nine straight contests and registered his sixth 20-point game. The Southfield, Mich., native also corralled four rebounds and had six assists.

Senior center Seth Dugan nearly posted his sixth double-double of the season with 16 points and eight rebounds to go along with four assists. The senior center from the free-throw line was a staggering 6-of-9 and was 5-of-11 from the field. Dugan's 16 points was the most he's scored since Dec. 1 versus USC Upstate.

Rounding out the scoring trio was fellow senior Josh Davis with 14 points and six rebounds. Of his six rebounds, five came on the offensive glass. Davis was 6-of-14 from the field and has now scored in double figures in four straight games.

Off the bench freshman William Boyer-Richard provided the Broncos with the offensive spark, scoring 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. The freshman guard also knocked down a career-high four three-pointers with three coming in the second half alone.

Overall WMU shot just 38.1 percent from the field while Kent State shot a staggering 53.2 percent. The Broncos from long distance knocked down 11 threes', marking the fifth time this season WMU has had double digit three's.

The Broncos now have an overall record of 6-9 and 0-2 in Mid-American Conference play. After beginning conference play with its first two on the road, WMU returns home for two straight against defending MAC West champion Toledo on Saturday, Jan.12 followed by defending MAC tournament champion Buffalo on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

To begin the game junior Jared Printy knocked down a three to give WMU its only lead of the game before KSU embarked on a 7-0 run to capture a 7-3 lead at the 17-minute mark. Midway through the first half, WMU cut the lead down to two before the Golden Flashes countered with a 13-3 run to extend its lead to double digits.

Kent State continued to widen its lead late in the first half, embarking on a 12-2 run to gain a 37-22 advantage. However, the Broncos rallied back making three of its final four field goals to trail 44-31 into the locker room.

The Golden Flashes jumped out to its biggest lead of 18 early in the second half before a Bronco rally midway through cut the deficit down to four. The Broncos 12-0 run was sparked by Boyer-Richard who hit back-to-back threes to bring the Brown & Gold to within single digits. Ultimately, WMU connected on three straight threes to trail 52-48 with 12:39 to play.

After the Bronco run, Kent State quickly responded with eight straight points to extend its lead back to double digits with 10 minutes left. Flowers made one of his four three's on the night to bring the deficit back to single digits before KSU made six of its next seven field goals to once again extend its lead.

Down the stretch the closest the Broncos got to the lead was eight points as the Golden Flashes made six of their final seven field goals and ended the game on a 15-8 run to secure the victory.

Kent State entered the game ranked No.22 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll and improved its overall record to 12-3, 1-1 in MAC play. KSU guard Jaylin Walker led the Golden Flashes with a game-high 23 points.