KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team dropped a tough 67-57 battle with in-state foe Detroit Mercy on Saturday afternoon inside University Arena.
The Broncos had three players score in double figures led by sophomore center
Titus Wright who registered his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Wright was 6-of-10 from the field against the Titans and corralled seven offensive rebounds in 32 minutes of action.
Senior
Greg Lee registered his best game as a Bronco, nearly posting a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Lee in 29 minutes was 6-of-12 from the field and had five offensive rebounds with one assist and one block.
Rounding out the double digit scoring trio was sophomore B. Artis White with 11 points. White also had three assists, four rebounds and one steal. Off the bench the Broncos received five points from junior
Adrian Martin on 2-of-6 shooting from the field with one three-pointer.
In his first game since Nov. 25, redshirt junior
Jason Whitens had two points, four rebounds and one steal in 23 minutes of play.
As a team the Broncos shot just 35.9 percent from the field and was 5-of-27 from long distance. Western Michigan outrebounded Detroit Mercy, 41-34 and held a 17-9 advantage on the offensive glass.
Western Michigan now has an overall record of 1-3 and will return to play on Sunday, Dec. 13 against Milwaukee. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. on ESPN3 inside University Arena.
Sophomore center
Titus Wright got going quickly for the Brown & Gold, scoring the first four points. Detroit countered and led the Broncos by one before Martin knocked down a wing three-pointer to give WMU a 11-9 lead at the 14-minute mark of the first
half. The three from Martin sparked a 6-0 run for WMU, earning a 15-8 lead at the 12-minute mark.
A fast break lay-up from B. Artis White extended the Bronco lead to 21-13 with 8:45 remaining prior to Detroit Mercy hitting back-to-back threes to trim the WMU lead down to two. After leading 24-19 with seven minutes left, the Broncos missed their next six field goals as the Titans roared back but trailed 27-25 with two minutes to go. Heading into the locker room, the Broncos enjoyed a 33-29 lead.
In the second half the Broncos shot just 34.5 percent from the field and was just 3-of-17 from behind the three-point line. Detroit Mercy outscored the Broncos 38-24 in the second half en route to the victory.
The two teams went back and forth to start the second half before both squads went on scoreless streaks of over three minutes. The Titans shot their way out of a slump and went on a 6-0 run thanks in large part to a corner three from Dwayne Rose Jr. to give Detroit Mercy the lead with 14 minutes remaining.
Midway through the second half the Broncos held a 44-43 advantage before Detroit Mercy embarked on a 12-2 run to regain the lead. The Titans pulled away down the stretch as WMU went just 1-of-9 from the field and have five turnovers in a span of eight minutes. Wright converted an and-one with 1:19 remaining to get WMU to within seven.
However, the Brown & Gold were unable to mount a comeback as Detroit Mercy made its final eight free-throws to grab the 67-57 victory.
