KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team won their second straight home contest of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 20, defeating University of Detroit Mercy, 82-67.
Four Broncos scored in double-digit figures, with
Kamrin Reed leading the way with a season-high 17 points.
Breanna Mobley followed with 16 points along with a team-high 15 rebounds and three blocks, good for her second straight double-double on the season.
Jordan Walker added 14 points and was two rebounds shy of a double-double, while
Leighah-Amori Wool scored 13 points.
Western Michigan shot 39.0 percent from the field, converting a season-high 30-of-77 field goals. WMU also shot 35.5 percent from beyond the arc with 11 three-pointers, another season-high for the Brown & Gold. The Broncos forced 20 Titan turnovers, scoring 22 points off the takeaways.
The Broncos jumped out on an 11-2 lead to the open the game, earning their first points of the contest off a fast-break layup from Mobley and a three from Reed. With five minutes left to play, sophomore
Maddie Watters came off the bench scoring back-to-back threes to extend the Bronco lead to 22-12. The early advantage was guided by 5-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc, coupled by strong defense with the Broncos surrendering just one turnover to Detroit Mercy's eight.
The Broncos opened the second quarter with two free throws sunk by Wool after a technical foul called on the Titans. WMU kept possession to score again on a layup by Walker, who went on to end a late-quarter scoring drought with two deep three-point shots to extend the lead in Western's favor.
WMU maintained its lead throughout the second half, taking a 39-27 advantage into the third quarter. The Brown & Gold shot 50.0 percent from the field, led by a strong defense tallying eight steals and 17 fast-break points leading into the final stanza.
Detroit Mercy pushed back in the fourth quarter, outscoring the WMU 7-0 to force a timeout as the scoring gap narrowed to just a six-point difference. Graduate transfer
Chelayne Bailey took charge with a fast break layup quickly followed by a three from Reed en route to an 11-0 run for the Broncos.
Sydney Shafer came off the bench to sink a pair of three-pointers to seal the victory for the Brown & Gold, 82-67.
Western Michigan (2-1 overall) will conclude their three-game home stand on Sunday, Nov. 24, going up against Florida Atlantic University at 1 p.m. The Broncos are then slated to compete in the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 29-30 in El Paso, Texas, facing the University of Texas El-Paso and New Mexico State.
