KALAMAZOO, Mich.  – Despite a 20-point, 20 rebound performance from senior Seth Dugan, Western Michigan men's basketball dropped a 60-58 decision to Mid-American Conference west division foe Ball State, 60-58 on Saturday afternoon inside University Arena.

The Broncos used a 12-2 run to tie the game at 55-55 with 2:30 to play as Dugan scored seven of WMU's 12 points during the run. Ball State countered with five straight points to regain the lead as the Broncos went scoreless from the field the next minute and a half.

Senior Josh Davis cut the lead down to three with 15.6 remaining, finishing at the rim for the unassisted lay-up. After Ball State missed its free-throw on the next possession, freshman DJ Houston drew a foul and went to the line with 10 seconds to play and the Broncos trailing by three.

Houston made the first free-throw and intentionally missed the second as Davis corralled the rebound. WMU made three passes before getting the ball to senior Seth Dugan who got off a shot that was blocked and went out of bounds with 2.9 seconds to play. On the ensuing inbound, junior Jared Printy launched a game-winning three-pointer from the right wing as time expired that fell short.  

Dugan recorded his 14th double-double of the season against the Cardinals with 20 points and 20 rebounds. With 14 double-doubles the senior center ranks second in school history for most double-doubles in a season, matching the mark set by Shayne Whittington during the 2013-14 season.

It's the third straight double-double for the Otsego, Mich., native and the second game this season in which Dugan has posted at least 20 rebounds and 20 points. With three guaranteed games remaining, Dugan is two shy of tying the program record for most double-doubles in a season set by Booker James (16) back in 1986-87.  

Joining Dugan in double figures was sophomore Michael Flowers with 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field. Flowers recorded two rebounds along with one assist and one steal in 24 minutes played.

Freshman Patrick Emilien matched his career-high in rebounds for the fourth time this season with nine. Off the bench fellow freshman Adrian Martin matched his career-high with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field with two three-pointers. It was the most points scored by Martin since scoring eight back on Dec. 8 at Youngstown State.

Western Michigan outrebounded Ball State, 48-30 and held a 17-6 advantage on the offensive glass. The Broncos knocked down six three-pointers on the night and held Ball State to just 2-of-14 from long distance. WMU shot 36.8 percent from the field while the Cardinals shot 44.8 percent.

With the loss WMU clinched the No.12 seed in the MAC Tournament with an overall record of 8-21, 2-14 in conference play. The Broncos are on the road on Tuesday, March 5 at MAC West leader Toledo before the regular season finale at home on Friday, March 8 against in-state rival Central Michigan.

Through the first five minutes of play the Cardinals embarked on a 13-2 run while WMU committed five turnovers to trail 15-9 at the 14:30 mark. Ball State widened its lead to 21-10 with 11:39 to play prior to Jared Printy scoring five straight points to bring the Broncos to within single digits at the halfway point of the first half.

The Broncos trailed 30-24 at the five-minute mark after holding Ball State scoreless from the field for nearly four minutes. Down the stretch, Flowers converted an and-one at the rim to cut the deficit to three with 30 seconds to play. To end the half freshman William Boyer-Richard connected on an NBA range three-pointer to tie the game at 34-34 heading into halftime.

WMU was held scoreless through first five minutes of action in the second half before Houston knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line. Ultimately, WMU was outscored 10-2 during the first six minutes of play as Ball State held a 44-36 lead.

The Cardinals extended their lead back to double digits after making five of their next seven field goals. Adrian Martin closed the gap at the 11:50 mark, connecting on his second triple of the game as WMU trailed by eight at the halfway point of the second half.  

After Martin's three-pointer the Bronco offense stalled going just 1-of-10 from the field as Ball State held on to an eight-point lead with under five minutes to play. Dugan began to dominate down the stretch scoring seven straight points for the Broncos to tie the game at 55-55 with 2:30 remaining.

Trailing by three, DJ Houston went to the free-throw line with 15.7 seconds left and made the first before intentionally missing the second free-throw. Off the miss, Davis corralled the rebound and swung the ball to Dugan whose shot was blocked and went out of bounds with 2.9 to go. On the ensuing inbound, Houston found Printy on the right wing who got off a game-winning three-pointer that fell short as Ball State captured a hard fought 60-58 victory.

Ball State had three players score in double figures led by senior Tayler Person with 18 points. With the win the Cardinals improved their overall record to 15-14, 6-10 in MAC play.