KALAMAZOO, Mich.  – Heading into the holiday break the Western Michigan men's basketball team will be riding a three-game win streak after an 84-61 victory over Aquinas College on Wednesday night inside University Arena.

After its last two contests coming down to the wire with final second goal-ahead shots, WMU never trailed against Aquinas and led by as many as 24 en route to the victory. The Broncos also shot a staggering 59.1 percent from the field with 44 points coming in the paint.

The Broncos were once again led by the duo of junior Michael Flowers and redshirt junior Brandon Johnson who combined to score 31 points. Flowers led all scorers with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field with three from long distance. Flowers has now scored in double figures in each of the last 15 games dating back to last season.

Behind Flowers was Johnson with 15 points along with four rebounds and two assists. Johnson in 24 minutes of action was 5-of-8 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. The Chicago, Ill., native has recorded double digit points in each of the last five games.

The leading scorer off the bench for the Broncos was sophomore Adrian Martin with a career-high 10 points in 16 minutes of action. Martin was 4-of-6 from the field against the Saints and 2-of-3 from beyond the three-point line. The Sugar Hill, Ga., native also corralled two rebounds to go along with two assists and one steal.

Freshman Chase Barrs led the Broncos on the glass, registering six rebounds to go along with eight points and two blocks. Fellow freshman Titus Wright also registered eight points against the Saints and had four rebounds and two assists. Rounding out the freshman trio was B.Artis White who pulled down a career-high five rebounds while scoring seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.

Overall 10 of the 13 players that saw the court on Wednesday scored while all but two players didn't record a rebound. WMU narrowly outrebounded Aquinas 36-30 and forced the Saints to commit 15 turnovers, scoring 14 points off those turnovers.
With its third straight victory Western Michigan improves its overall record to 7-5. The Broncos will have a little over a week off for the holidays before returning to the court on Sunday, Dec. 29 against nationally-ranked Michigan State.

It was a fast start for the Broncos who made four of their first five field goals to take a 12-6 advantage at the 15-minute mark of the first half. WMU propelled its lead to 17-10 after four straight points from junior Rafael Cruz Jr., and extended its lead to double-digits at 22-11 after a three-pointer from Flowers.

However, Aquinas responded at the midway point of the first half and made five of its next seven field goals to cut the Bronco lead down to 25-17 at the 7:40 mark. WMU extended its lead back to double-digits just 35 seconds later after back-to-back three's from Martin. The Broncos ended the half connecting on seven of their final nine field goals for a 48-30 lead at half. The 18-point advantage is the largest lead at halftime for the Broncos this season.

To begin the second half, the Brown & Gold extended its lead to 20 points after B. Artis White knocked down his only three of the night to propel the Broncos in front, 52-32. Western Michigan continued its stellar shooting in the second half and made five of its next seven field goals to hold a 59-45 lead with 12:30 remaining.

Aquinas battled its way back and cut its deficit down to 10 after a corner three-pointer with 7:31 remaining. Out of a media timeout the Bronco offense roared back, embarking on a 13-3 run to push its lead to 21 with 5:43 remaining.

Down the stretch after Aquinas cut its deficit down to 10, Western Michigan outscored the Saints 20-7 the final seven minutes of play to secure its seventh win of the season.