SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team rounded out its non-conference schedule with an 85-52 setback at the hands of Notre Dame on Monday night at Purcell Pavilion.   
 
Lamar Norman Jr. netted 15 points to lead the way for Western Michigan (4-7), his ninth straight game in double-figures. Markeese Hastings joined Norman in double-digits with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Gus Etchison added a career-best six rebounds for the Broncos.
 
Notre Dame (5-5) was out of the gates quickly, scoring the first 10 points of the evening. Eight of the next 10 went to the Broncos, trimming the margin to 12-8 with 16:03 remaining in the opening half. The Fighting Irish countered with seven in a row to extend their advantage back into double-digits, 19-8, at the 13:59 mark.
 
The hosts briefly pushed it out to a 14-point edge, 27-13, but an 8-0 Western Michigan run whittled the margin to 27-21 with 7:28 to play in the half. Once again Notre Dame had an answer, ending the half on a 17-2 run to take a 44-23 advantage into the locker room.
 
The run continued into the second half, as the Fighting Irish netted the first six points after halftime to build their lead to 50-23 with 17:29 to play. Notre Dame's cushion remained above 20 for the remainder of the contest.
 
Western Michigan shot 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the floor for the evening, while Notre Dame connected on 51.8 percent (29-of-56) of its field goal attempts. The Broncos snagged 11 offensive rebounds and held a 35-34 overall advantage on the glass in the contest.
 
WMU begins Mid-American Conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 29, with a trip to Toledo. Tip between the Broncos and Rockets is set for 7 pm. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 and the Bronco Media Network.
 
To purchase tickets to any Western Michigan men's basketball home game this season, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets, or call 1-888-4-WMU-TIX.