EAST LANSING, Mich. – The sophomore duo of B. Artis White and Titus Wright combined to score 35 points with Wright earning his first career double-double as Western Michigan men's basketball fell to No.8 Michigan State, 79-61 on Sunday afternoon inside the Breslin Center.

Wright registered his first career double-double against the Spartans with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Wright's 16 points matched his career-high with 12 of his 16 coming in the first half. The Thomasville, Ga., native recorded 10 rebounds, one shy of his career-high with five coming on the offense glass.

Leading the way for the Broncos was fellow sophomore B. Artis White with 19 points, one shy of his career-high set back on Nov. 6, 2019 against McNeese State. White was 5-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from long distance. White also corralled six rebounds to go along with three assists in 35 minutes of action.

In his first start of the season senior Rafael Cruz Jr. was 4-of-10 from the field for nine points in 20 minutes of action. In his first collegiate start freshman Josiah Freeman scored seven points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field with one three-pointer. Freeman also had one rebound and two assists. Senior Greg Lee recorded six points and ranked second on the team with six rebounds. Lee also dished out a team-high four assists.

The starting five for the Broncos scored 57 of the team's 61 points with redshirt sophomore Jaylon Holmes scoring the lone points off the bench with four. Holmes had two rebounds and one assists on 2-of-4 shooting from the field.

It's a quick turnaround for Western Michigan as the Broncos prepare for their home opener on Monday, Dec. 7 against Adrian College. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. inside
University Arena. It will be the first home game for first-year head coach Clayton Bates.

Western Michigan got off to a fast start against the nationally ranked Spartans making four of their first five shots. After going on a scoring drought of nearly three minutes, WMU rattled off four straight points highlighted by a lay-up from Cruz Jr. high off the glass that gave the Brown & Gold a 13-12 lead.

The Cruz Jr. lay-up sparked an 8-0 run for the Broncos as WMU gained a 17-12 lead at the 12:10 mark of the first half. WMU grew the lead to 20-15 midway through the first half after a White three-pointer from straight on. Michigan State responded with a 14-2 run to regain the lead and jump out to a 37-27 lead with three minutes remaining in the half.

However, the Broncos rallied back at the end of the half, embarking on a 6-0 run and holding the Spartans scoreless the final 3:30. Western Michigan trailed 39-35 heading into the locker room.

In the second half after an early run by the Spartans, the Broncos battled back with a 9-0 run of their own to trim the Michigan State lead down to two. During its run WMU forced Michigan State to commit five turnovers in a three-minute span. Trailing 52-50 at the midway point of the second half, the Broncos went cold from the field missing its next four field goals as the Spartans extended their lead to double digits with 6:35 remaining.  

Michigan State pulled away late in the second half using a 14-2 run to secure the 79-61 victory.