KENT, Ohio – After trailing by as many as 20 in the first half, the Western Michigan men's basketball team fought all the way back to within six in the latter stages of the second half before ultimately falling, 75-64, at Kent State on Tuesday night at the M.A.C. Center.
 
Markeese Hastings collected the second double-double of his collegiate career, as the redshirt sophomore netted 14 points and snared 14 rebounds. It was the sixth double-digit rebounding performance of the season for Hastings, which is second-most in the MAC.  
 
Lamar Norman Jr. paced the Broncos (4-15, 0-8) in scoring for the 14th time this season, as he poured in a game-high 22 points. It marked the ninth time this season the junior has had 20 or more points, and was his 16th consecutive game in double-figures.
 
Kent State (10-9, 5-4) got off to a 15-4 start, and eventually built a 24-6 edge in the first eight minutes. Western Michigan answered with nine of the next 11, trimming the margin to 26-15 just past the midway point of the opening period.
 
The Golden Flashes countered with nine in a row, pushing their lead out to 35-15 at the 5:34 mark of the half. The Broncos cut the deficit down to 14 in the final minute on a Mileek McMillan three-pointer, but KSU answered with a triple of its own on the ensuing possession to take a 47-30 advantage into the break.
 
At the 17:11 mark of the second half, a Hastings three-point play drew WMU to within a 49-35 score. The Broncos continued to chip away, using a 7-0 run to cut the margin down to 53-42 with just under 13 minutes to play. A 14-6 Western Michigan surge, capped by an Adrian Martin three-pointer, cut Kent State's edge to 62-56 with 7:25 to go.
 
Six points was as close as the Broncos got, as the Golden Flashes responded with a 9-3 spurt to push the margin back into double-digits, 71-59, with 3:32 remaining. WMU could not get any closer than nine the rest of the way, as Kent State sealed the victory from the charity stripe.
 
Western Michigan connected on 23-of-57 (40.4 percent) from the floor for the evening, while Kent State knocked down 27-of-56 (48.2 percent) from the field.
 
The Broncos were plus-four in turnover margin, forcing Kent State into 12 turnovers, while committing only eight. The eight turnovers equaled WMU's season low, and marked Western Michigan's third time in the last four games with single-digit miscues.
 
WMU continues its road swing on Saturday afternoon down in Muncie, Ind., against Ball State. Tip is slated for 3:30 pm, and the game will be broadcast 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.