KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Tied at 64-64 with under 30 seconds to play, redshirt junior Brandon Johnson dribbled right, pump faked and spun back left to lay-in the game-winning basket as Western Michigan men's basketball defeated Youngstown State 66-64 on Saturday afternoon inside University Arena.  

Prior to the game-winner, the Broncos trailed for a majority of the second half before freshman B. Artis White knocked down his third three-pointer of the game to give WMU a 64-62 lead with 55 seconds remaining. It was WMU's first lead since the 15:24 mark of the second half.

Youngstown State knotted up the score on the next possession as guard Garrett Covington drove baseline and earned the tough lay-up to tie the game at 64. Out of a Bronco timeout, White dribbled down the clock at the top of the key before handing it off to Johnson for the game-winning shot that fell with 0.2 remaining.

Johnson was one of four Broncos to score in double figures on Saturday, leading the way with a game-high 19 points to go along with a career-high 16 rebounds for his third double-double of the year. The Chicago, Ill., native was 7-of-16 from the field and had one three-pointer in 36 minutes of action.  

Over the past four games Johnson has registered 17 points and 11.5 rebounds with two double-doubles. The redshirt junior forward against Horizon League opponents this season (Milwaukee, Oakland, Youngstown State) has averaged 19.3 points and 15.3 rebounds per game.

Off the bench fellow junior Rafael Cruz Jr. ranked second on the team with 15 points while registering six rebounds and three assists. Cruz Jr. was 5-of-7 from the field, 2-of-3 from long distance and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.

The backcourt duo of White and senior Michael Flowers each scored 13 against the Penguins. White was 5-of-13 from the field with a trio of three-pointers while Flowers was 3-of-6 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.

For the second straight game the Broncos recorded single-digit turnovers with eight while forcing Youngstown State to commit 10 turnovers, scoring 17 points off those turnovers. As a team WMU shot 42.6 percent from the field and had seven threes.

With the victory Western Michigan snapped its four-game losing streak and improved its overall record to 5-5. WMU is now 4-1 inside University Arena this season, the best start at home since the 2015-16 campaign. The Broncos will have a week off for final exams before traveling to New York for a showdown against Manhattan on Saturday, Dec. 14.

It was a stellar shooting performance by both teams in the first half as WMU shot 57.7 percent from the field while Youngstown State shot 50 percent during the first 20 minutes of action. The Broncos jumped out to a 16-8 lead after making four of its first five field goals before going scoreless from the field the next three minutes. Despite the cold shooting WMU held a 20-13 lead at the halfway point.

With 8:40 remaining in the first half, the Penguin offense got hot, making four of their next five field goals to cut the WMU lead down to two at 22-20. Both teams went back and forth down the stretch as WMU made six of its final eight field goals while Youngstown State made seven of its last nine. The first half ended with WMU taking a 40-34 lead into the locker room.

To begin the second half, Youngstown State embarked on a 9-0 run to cut its deficit down to one as WMU made just of its first seven field goals. After going scoreless for nearly five minutes, Johnson connected on his lone three-pointer of the night to tie the game at 47-47 with 12:29 to play.

Both offensives went stagnant midway through the second half as Youngstown State gained a 53-47 advantage after a corner three with 9:30 remaining. The Broncos slowly clawed their way back and after a Johnson free-throw trailed the Penguins by three with 4:45 left in the game.

With under two minutes to play, WMU went on a quick 4-0 run to tie the game at 61-61 after a fast break lay-up from Cruz Jr., followed by a jumper from Johnson. With 1:16 remaining, Youngstown State made one of its two free-throws prior to White knocking down a three-pointer from the right wing to give WMU a 64-62 lead.

Out of a timeout, Youngstown State tied the game up at 64-64 before Johnson's game-winning lay-up propelled the Broncos to their fifth win of the season.