DEKALB, Ill. – After knocking down seven three-pointers in the first half the Western Michigan men's basketball team connected on just one three in the second half, falling to Northern Illinois 58-52 on Saturday afternoon inside the NIU Convocation Center.

Western Michigan was outrebounded 47-37 on Saturday afternoon with NIU earning a 17-10 advantage on the offensive glass. NIU capitalized with 22 second chance points to WMU's 10 while the Huskies held a 30-14 advantage in the paint.

Offensively the Broncos were led by junior Michael Flowers who scored a game-high 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field. Flowers knocked down two three-pointers to go along with two rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes of action.

Dating back to last season, Flowers has now scored in double figures in 24 straight games and is 66 shy of eclipsing 1,000 for his career. The Southfield, Mich. native scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half.

For the seventh straight game redshirt junior Brandon Johnson scored in double figures with 12 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. Johnson was just 4-of-13 from the field while connecting on one three-pointer.

Leading the way on the glass was redshirt sophomore Jason Whitens with seven rebounds, two of which came on the offensive glass. Whitens collected four points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field with one steal in 21 minutes.

Lighting up the scoreboard in the first half was freshman B. Artis White who scored all nine of his points in the first 20 minutes of play. White was 3-of-9 from the field with all three field goals coming from long distance. The Canton, Mich., native also corralled a career-high six rebounds and four steals.

Off the bench the Broncos were led by senior Jared Printy with six points on 2-of-5 shooting from long distance. Freshman Chase Barrs tallied the most minutes in a game since Nov. 22, registering three points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action. 

As a team WMU was 18-of-54 from the field and shot just 32 percent from behind the three-point line. The Brown & Gold came into Saturday's contest ranking 27^th in the NCAA in free-throws made but went just 8-of-16 from the charity stripe.

Western Michigan now sits with an overall record of 9-11 and 2-5 in Mid-American Conference play. The Broncos return to action next Saturday, Feb. 1 at home against in-state rival Central Michigan. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.

The two teams went back and forth to begin the ball game as White knocked down a three-pointer to begin the game before NIU responded with seven straight points. The
Huskies jumped out to an 11-5 lead after connecting on four straight field goals before Johnson took over, scoring five straight points to cut the NIU deficit down to one with 11:30 to go in the first half.

Midway through the first half the Broncos regained the lead thanks to back-to-back threes from Jared Printy gave WMU a 16-13 advantage with 7:40 remaining. NIU countered with a 6-0 run to earn a three-point lead before the Broncos embarked on a 10-0 of their own to gain a 26-21 lead with 2:45 left.

However, NIU rallied back as WMU was held scoreless the final three minutes of play, missing its final five field goals. The Broncos and Huskies went into the locker room tied at 26-26.

NIU's and the MAC's leading scorer Eugene German got the second half rolling quickly, hitting two straight threes' to give WMU a 32-28 lead. The two teams traded baskets after the furious start before NIU embarked on a 7-0 run to grab a 41-38 lead with 11:20 remaining.

The Broncos continued to battle as Brandon Johnson rattled off five straight points to tie the game at 43-43 with 10:20 to play. Johnson's run was highlighted by an and-one followed by a dunk. The Huskies bounced back once again making five of their next seven field goals and embarking on a 7-0 run to gain a 50-43 advantage.

WMU looked to rally down the stretch but was held scoreless for over three minutes as NIU extended its lead to 54-46. The Broncos got to within five with under a minute to play after Michael Flowers converted an and-one but was unable to complete the comeback as NIU secured the home victory, 58-52.