RIVERDALE, N.Y. – For the second straight game the Western Michigan men's basketball team needed late game heroics as senior Jared Printy hit a go-ahead three-pointer with six seconds left to down Manhattan 59-58 on Saturday night inside Draddy Gymnasium.

Prior to the three-pointer, WMU held a 56-55 lead with 15.5 seconds remaining before Manhattan's Elijah Buchanan converted a three-point play to regain the lead for the Jaspers. After a bronco timeout, freshman guard B. Artis White dribbled to the top of the key and swung the ball around to Printy who knocked down his second three of the game to give WMU a two-point advantage.

On the ensuing possession the Bronco defense forced a contested Manhattan shot that bounced off the left side of the rim to give WMU its second straight victory. With the win the Broncos move to 6-5 on the season and will host Aquinas College on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Leading the way for the Broncos with his third straight double-double and fourth of the season was redshirt junior Brandon Johnson with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Johnson was 6-of-14 from the field in 33 minutes of action. Over the past five games the Chicago, Ill., native is averaging 16.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.

Along with Johnson with double digits was junior Michael Flowers with 15 points on an effective 4-of-6 from the field. Flowers also registered two rebounds and three assists while going 3-of-3 from behind the three-point line. Flowers was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line and has now made 16 straight free-throws.

Once again junior Rafael Cruz Jr. led the Broncos off the bench with nine points and a team-high four assists and two steals. Cruz Jr. was 3-of-10 from the field and 3-of-5 from the free-throw line in 26 minutes of action. In 16 minutes, freshman Chase Barrs ranked fourth on the team with four rebounds while also posting three points and one steal.

Senior Jared Printy totaled six points against the Jaspers going 2-for-2 from the field with both shots coming from behind the three-point line. Freshman Titus Wright in 17 minutes of play registered six points and five rebounds and led the way defensively drawing two offensive charges.

Overall, WMU shot 37.3 percent from field and was 5-of-15 from three-point range. The Bronco defense forced Manhattan to commit 20 turnovers on the night, scoring 19 points off those turnovers. Manhattan shot 38.8 percent from the field on Saturday but was just 7-of-20 from long distance.

The Broncos will return home for their final non-conference home game of 2019 on Wednesday, Dec. 18 against Aquinas College. WMU will end non-conference play on Sunday, Dec. 29 on the road at nationally ranked Michigan State. With the win, Western Michigan improves its overall record to 6-5.

It was a cold shooting performance for both teams to begin the game as both the Broncos and Jaspers went a combined 1-for-10 en route to Manhattan holding a 2-1 lead five minutes into the game.

Through the first 10 minutes of the first half the Bronco defense was stifling against the Jaspers, holding Manhattan to 28.6 percent shooting from the field. The stellar defense helped WMU gain a 5-4 lead at the halfway point of the first half.

Manhattan grabbed a 15-13 lead with eight minutes to go before Broncos embarked on an 8-0 run with four points coming from Johnson to gain a 21-15 advantage. However, WMU went scoreless from the field the next three minutes as the Jaspers battle their way back to tie the game at 24-24.

During the final 3:07 of the first half the Broncos went scoreless from the field while Manhattan went on a 12-0 run and knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to end the half and take a 30-24 lead into the locker room.

To begin the second half, the Broncos and Jaspers battled back prior to WMU embarking on a 9-0 run highlighted by a 15-foot jumper from Johnson to give WMU a 35-33 lead. Ultimately the Broncos rattled off 15 of the next 18 points to take a 39-33 lead with 13:15 remaining.

Midway through the second half the Manhattan defense stepped up, holding WMU scoreless for nearly 3 minutes from the field. After back-to-back three-pointers, Manhattan grabbed a 43-42 lead after an 8-0 run. Flowers tied the game a minute later on a fade away three-pointer from the corner.

Down the stretch the two teams went on a flurry of points as both teams made three of their next four field goals with WMU holding a 56-53 lead with 1:47 left to play. Manhattan stormed back and took a 58-56 lead with 15.5 remaining after converting an and-one before Printy nailed a three with six second remaining to give WMU a one-point lead.

In the winding seconds, WMU forced a contests shot from the Jaspers that bounced off the left side of the rim to propel the Broncos to a 59-58 victory.