ORLANDO, Fla.  – In the third place game of the 2019 NIT Season Tip-Off the Western Michigan men's basketball team fell in a defensive battle to Seattle, 59-55 on Tuesday inside HP Fieldhouse at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

It was a defensive battle throughout as neither team shot over 40 percent from the field while both teams had single-digit three-pointers. Only once did the lead reach double digits as WMU and Seattle battled to three ties and two lead changes.

The duo of junior Michael Flowers and redshirt junior Brandon Johnson were the lone Broncos to score in double figures as Johnson led the Broncos with 19 points. Johnson was 7-of-15 from the field against the RedHawks to go along with nine rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass.

Flowers was right behind Johnson with 16 points in 32 minutes of action. The Southfield, Mich., native was 5-of-15 from the field, 2-of-6 from beyond the three-point line and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. Flowers also registered five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Overall WMU scored 18 points off the bench with nine coming from junior Rafael Cruz Jr. The Chicago, Ill., guard off the bench corralled six rebounds while going 4-of-5 from the field with two assists. Over the past four games, Cruz Jr. has averaged 10.75 points and 5.25 rebounds.

After recording his first career double-double on Monday, redshirt sophomore Jason Whitens followed up his performance ranking second on the team with eight rebounds. Whitens also had three assists in 37 minutes of action.

As a team the Broncos shot 37.5 percent from the field and was 5-of-22 from beyond the three-point line. WMU forced Seattle to commit eight turnovers on the afternoon, scoring eight points off of those turnovers. Seattle dominated the Brown & Gold in the paint, outscoring the Broncos, 24-16.

Western Michigan heads back home after its three-game road swing with an overall record of 4-4. The Broncos resume action on the hardwood a week from today, squaring off with in-state mid-major rival Oakland at home on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Seattle raced out of the gate to begin the third-place game, embarking on a 7-0 run during the first five minutes of action to gain a 9-2 advantage at the 15:30 mark.  The Bronco offense went cold during the next five minutes of play before Cruz Jr., knocked down a corner three to cut the Bronco deficit down to three with 9:45 remaining in the first half.

It was the stingy Bronco defense that propelled WMU to its first lead of the game as Seattle was held scoreless for nearly five minutes en route to an 18-16 lead. Ultimately,
WMU went on a 12-6 run over the final eight minutes of play as both teams were tied at 20 heading into the locker room. During the 12-6 run for the Broncos, Johnson was the spark plug with six points.  

The two teams traded three point baskets to begin the second half before the RedHawks countered with five straight points to take a 35-27 lead at the 14:23 mark. Seattle gained a double-digit lead at the 10:30 mark after making five of their next field goals.

WMU continued to battle and after a free-throw line jumper from Flowers, the Broncos were within seven with 6:45 to play. Three minutes later trailing by seven, Seattle knocked down one of its six three-pointers to propel its lead back to double digits with 3:57 remaining.

Down the stretch the Bronco offense got hot thanks in large part to Flowers who scored eight straight points including a four-point play with 30 seconds left to cut the deficit down to three. However, missed shots coupled with Seattle making three of its final four free-throws secured the 59-55 victory for the RedHawks.