KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Despite out shooting and outscoring Toledo in the second half the Western Michigan men's basketball team was unable to mount a comeback in a 70-59 loss to the Rockets on Saturday afternoon inside University Arena.

The Broncos outscored Toledo 32-31 in the second half and shot 45.2 percent during the final 20 minutes of play. However, it was the first half that hampered the Broncos shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and trailing by 11 at half.

For the game, WMU shot 39.7 percent from the field compared to Toledo's 38.5 percent. Toledo outshot the Broncos from long distance, making eight three-pointers compared to WMU's five. The Rockets narrowly outrebounded the Broncos 40-37 and held a slim 13-10 advantage on the offensive glass.

WMU had three players score in double figures led by sophomore B. Artis White with 17 points. White was 7-of-16 from the field with two three-pointers. The Canton, Mich., native also had four rebounds, one assist and one steal. White has now scored in double figures in each of the past five games.

Senior Greg Lee posted his second double-double as a Bronco on Saturday with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Lee became the first Bronco to eclipse 14 or more rebounds since Dec. 7, 2019. Lee in 26 minutes of action was 3-of-8 from the field and matched his career-high with four assists.

For the fourth time this season sophomore Titus Wright scored in double figures with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Wright also ranked second on the team with five rebounds and had two assists and one steal.

Off the bench junior forward Patrick Emilien led the Broncos with nine points, going 4-of-6 from the field with one three-pointer. Emilien in 23 minutes corralled four rebounds, two assists and two steals. The Toronto, Canada native also matched his career-high with two blocks. Fellow junior Adrian Martin provided meaningful minutes off the bench as well with five points and two rebounds.

WMU scored 32 of its 59 points in the paint and forced Toledo to commit nine turnovers, scoring 11 points off those turnovers. From long distance, WMU was just 5-of-27 while being 8-of-11 from the free-throw line.

With the loss the Broncos now have an overall record of 2-6 and 1-2 in Mid-American Conference play. Western Michigan hits the road for the first time in conference play on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at Ball State. The Broncos fell to Ball State at home earlier this season, 76-68.

It was a slim lead for the Broncos early as Toledo made just one of its first six field goals to give WMU a 6-4 advantage. However, the Broncos missed their next four field goals as the Rockets responded to a two-point lead with 13 minutes remaining in the first half.

The Bronco offense was sparked by back-to-back three-pointers from B. Artis White and Patrick Emilien to gain a 14-8 advantage midway through the first half. The six-point lead for the Broncos was their largest of the day and quickly diminished after Toledo countered with back-to-back threes of its own.

WMU got hot from the field once again and earned a 21-18 lead with seven minutes remaining in the first half. During a three-minute stretch the Broncos made five of their next seven field goals. After a Titus Wright lay-up gave WMU a three-point lead, Toledo embarked on a 10-0 run and grabbed a 31-24 lead.

Down the stretch of the first half, WMU went just 2-of-12 from the field including missing its final nine field goals. Toledo was held without a field goal the final 2:56 of the first half as the Broncos trailed 39-27 heading into the locker room.

To begin the second half neither team was able to gain an advantage as both WMU and Toledo traded three-pointers. With 12 minutes remaining, Adrian Martin knocked down a three from the top of the key to cut the Bronco deficit down to single digits.
After the two teams traded baskets, B. Artis White went on a personal 4-0 run to cut the Rocket lead down to 50-42 with 10 minutes to go.

With 7:45 remaining, White recovered a loose ball and went coast-to-coast to propel the Broncos to within nine and swing momentum. Toledo responded quickly with a 6-0 run on back-to-back three-pointers to extend its lead back to 61-46 with six minutes remaining.

Despite the Broncos making five of their seven field goals and holding Toledo scoreless from the field the final 3:38, the Rockets held on late for the 70-59 victory.

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