KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team returns to University Arena on Saturday afternoon for a 2 pm matinee against Bowling Green. Fans can purchase tickets here. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN3 and the Bronco Media Network.

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (4-13, 0-6 MAC) vs Bowling Green (9-9, 2-5 MAC)

Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 22 – 2 pm

Site: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Video: ESPN3

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• After having Thursday's trip to CMU postponed, WMU returns home on Saturday afternoon to take on Bowling Green.
• Back on Tuesday night, Western Michigan fell victim to a game-ending 11-0 run by Akron, which pushed the Zips past the Broncos in the final seconds, 74-73.
• B. Artis White led WMU with a new career-high 23 points, while Lamar Norman Jr. added 19 points for the Broncos.
• Norman's 19 points extended his double-digit scoring streak to 14 games in a row. 
• As a team, Western Michigan hit 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from downtown, one three-pointer shy of its season high.
• Saturday's game is set to be the 124th all-time meeting between WMU and BGSU.
• The Falcons hold a 74-49 advantage in the series, and have won each of their  last two trips to Kalamazoo. 
• Western Michigan won the lone meeting between the two last season, coming away with a 76-70 road win over BGSU.

BRONCOS BACK IN TOWN
After having its Thursday trip to Mount Pleasant postponed, WMU returns to the friendly confines of University Arena on Saturday to take on Bowling Green.

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan fell victim to a game-ending 11-0 run by Akron on Tuesday to fall to the Zips, 74-73. B. Artis White tied his career high with six three-pointers on his way to a career-best 23 points. Lamar Norman Jr. knocked down five triples of his own and tallied 19 points for the evening. WMU hit a total of 14 triples, one shy of its season high.

WHITE HOT
B. Artis White poured in a career-high 23 points on Tuesday, knocking down a career-high tying six triples on eight attempts. White really caught fire after halftime, making four three-pointers in a row at one point, on his way to 16 second-half points. 

WMU VS BGSU
Saturday marks the 124th all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Bowling Green. The Falcons own a 74-49 advantage in the overall series, including a 31-29 mark in Kalamazoo. BGSU has won each of its last two trips to University Arena. The two teams meet again at the Stroh Center on Feb. 26.

WHEN LAST WE MET
On Feb. 3, 2021, the Broncos came away with a 76-70 win at Bowling Green to snap a four-game slide against the Falcons. Greg Lee had 16 points and 12 rebounds, while B. Artis White added 16 points of his own. WMU knocked down 12 three-pointers in the contest, with Josiah Freeman, Adrian Martin and White hitting three apiece.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Bowling Green has a quick turnaround, having lost at home to Akron 91-66 on Thursday night. The Falcons sit atop the MAC in scoring offense at 82.9 points per game. So far this season, 13 different BGSU players have scored in double-figures at least once, tied for the most in the nation. Daeqwon Plowden's 16.3 points per game leads Bowling Green and ranks seventh in the MAC.

SCORIN' NORMAN
WMU newcomer Lamar Norman Jr. has burst onto the scene, ranking third in the MAC at 19.3 points per game. With his 19 points at Akron on Tuesday, the junior extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to 14 in a row. Norman is the only player in the league to have multiple 30-point games and has seven 20-point efforts, tied for second-most in the conference. He currently leads the league and ranks 11th in the country with 3.6 made three-pointers per game. 

MAKING HIS MARK
Fellow newcomer Markeese Hastings ranks in the top-10 of the conference in several categories as well. The redshirt sophomore ranks seventh in field goal percentage (.508), third in rebounding (8.0), fourth in offensive rebounding (3.1) and eighth in defensive rebounding (4.9). Hastings is tied for second in the league with four double-digit rebounding games, and his 18 rebounds at Toledo on Dec. 29 remains the highest single-game total by a MAC player this season.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Transfers Lamar Norman Jr. (Duquesne) and Markeese Hastings (Butler) have been among the most impactful transfers in all of Division I, as the duo represents two of the 13 DI transfers who have increased their scoring averages by 8.0 points or more from last season. Norman has increased his scoring average by 14.3 points per game (5.0 to 19.3), while Hastings has jumped 8.3 points (0.5 to 8.8). Norman's 14.3 PPG increase is the highest among all DI transfers. 

CHASING 1500
Coming into Saturday's game, Western Michigan senior guard Mack Smith sits on 1473 career points, 27 shy of 1500. The Eastern Illinois transfer is currently tied for 84th on the NCAA DI active scoring leaders list.

346 AND COUNTING
WMU has made at least one three-pointer in 346 straight games dating back to 2011. 

ON THE HORIZON
WMU hits the road for four of its next six games, starting on Tuesday at Kent State.