KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team returns to University Arena on Friday night for a 7 pm contest against Aquinas College. Fans can purchase tickets here, or by calling 1-888-4-WMU-TIX. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN3 and the Bronco Media Network.

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (3-6) vs Aquinas College (9-5)

Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 17 – 7 pm

Site: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Video: ESPN3

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan finishes out its non-conference home slate on Friday night as it welcome Aquinas to University Arena.
• WMU is coming off of an 83-64 setback at Detroit Mercy last Saturday afternoon. 
• Mack Smith led the Broncos with 13 points, while Lamar Norman Jr. added 11.
• Norman's 11 points put him in double-figures for the seventh straight game.
• All 10 Broncos who played scored at least three points, the third time this season that every player who saw the floor got onto the scoresheet for WMU.
• Friday marks the fourth all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Aquinas, with WMU leading the series 3-0.
• The Broncos won the most recent meeting, 84-61, on Dec. 18, 2019.
• Western Michigan had three players in double-figures in that contest, and shot nearly 60 percent from the field (32-54).
• Aquinas is 9-5 on the year and is playing Friday's game as an exhibition contest.
   

RETURN TO THE ZOO
Western Michigan returns to Kalamazoo on Friday night to take on Aquinas College in what will be the Broncos' final home game of non-conference play. WMU is 1-3 thus far in 2021-22 against in-state opponents.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of an 83-64 loss at Detroit Mercy last Saturday afternoon. After an early deficit, WMU got back to within two late in the first half, but a 9-2 run helped the Titans to a seven-point halftime edge. Detroit Mercy kept its momentum going after the break, and led by double-digits for the majority of the second half.

BALANCED ATTACK
All 10 Broncos who saw the court in Saturday's setback at Detroit Mercy scored at least three points. It marked the third time this season that everyone who played in a game scored, and the sixth time where at least nine different Broncos scored.

WMU VS. AQUINAS
Friday's contest marks the fourth all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Aquinas College. The Broncos have won each of the prior three meetings by an average of 33.3 points per game.

THE LAST TIME WE MET
The last meeting between WMU and Aquinas came nearly two years ago to the date, as the Broncos topped the Saints, 84-61, on Dec. 18, 2019, at University Arena. Western Michigan shot 59.1 percent (32-54) from the field in the victory and had three players in double-figures, led by Michael Flowers' 16 points. Brandon Johnson poured in 15, while Adrian Martin added 10 for the Broncos.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS
Aquinas comes into Friday 9-5 overall and 4-3 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. Four Saints are averaging double-digits, led by Gabe Overway's 17.8 points per game. He is also the team's leading rebounder at 8.6 per game, and has amassed four double-doubles, three of which have come in the last four games. Aquinas is playing Friday's game as an exhibition contest. 

FORMER SAINT ON THE SIDELINES
For the first time in his coaching career, Western Michigan assistant Jacob Bullock will be on the sidelines against his alma mater. Bullock played in 129 games at Aquinas College from 2013-17 and scored 1843 career points, sixth-most in program history.

CASHING IN FROM DOWNTOWN
The Broncos enter Friday's game averaging 9.1 three-pointers per game, fourth-most in the Mid-American Conference. Leading the way from beyond the arc for Western Michigan is Lamar Norman Jr., who is averaging a league-leading 3.9 triples per game. His 3.9 average is nearly one full make more than the conference's next closest player.

SCORIN' NORMAN
Western Michigan newcomer Lamar Norman Jr. has burst onto the scene, ranking third in the MAC at 18.3 points per game. With his 11 points on Saturday at Detroit Mercy, the junior extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to seven in a row. Norman is one of three players in the league to have a 30-point game and has four 20-point efforts, second-most in the conference this season.

MAKING HIS MARK
Fellow newcomer Markeese Hastings ranks in the top-10 of the MAC in several categories as well. The redshirt sophomore ranks sixth in field goal percentage (.525), eighth in rebounding (7.2) and third in offensive rebounding (2.9). Since moving to a bench role for WMU five games ago, Hastings is averaging 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds.

SHARPSHOOTING MARTIN
Through his first eight games, Adrian Martin has knocked down 47.8 percent of his three-point tries, tied for the fourth-highest percentage in the conference. The junior's biggest outburst of the season from downtown was his single-game program record 6-for-6 performance in WMU's overtime win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 27.

HALFTIME LEADS TURN INTO W'S
Including its 2-0 mark this season, Western Michigan owns a 47-15 record over the last four seasons when leading at halftime.

338 AND COUNTING
WMU has made at least one three-pointer in 338 straight games dating back to 2011. 

ON THE HORIZON
The Broncos round out non-conference play on Monday, Dec. 20, with a trip down to South Bend, Ind., to take on Notre Dame.