KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team hits the road again on Saturday for a matinee matchup with Ball State.Tip-off between the Broncos and Cardinals is set for 3:30 pm, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN3 and the Bronco Media Network.

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (4-15, 0-8 MAC) at Ball State (9-10, 4-4 MAC)

Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 29 – 3:30 pm

Site: Worthen Arena (Muncie, Ind.)

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Video: ESPN3

Live Stats: SIDEARM

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan hits the road again on Saturday afternoon as it rolls in to Muncie, Ind., for a matinee against Ball State. 
• The Broncos are coming off of a 75-64 defeat at Kent State on Tuesday evening.
• Lamar Norman Jr. led WMU in scoring for the 14th time this season with 22 points.
• It was Norman's 16th straight game in double-figures, and ninth game this season with 20 or more points.
• Markeese Hastings collected his second career double-double, posting 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. 
• Norman leads the conference in scoring in league games at 21.7 PPG, while Hastings is atop the MAC in rebounding in conference games at 10.8 RPG.
• Saturday's game marks the 136th all-time meeting between WMU and Ball State.
• BSU holds a 68-67 edge in the series after taking last season's lone meeting, 76-68.
• Western Michigan is 23-41 all-time in Muncie and 9-20 at Worthen Arena. 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Western Michigan's stretch of four out of five on the road continues on Saturday with a trip to Muncie, Ind., to face Ball State.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of a 75-64 loss at Kent State on Tuesday night. Lamar Norman Jr. paced Western Michigan in scoring for the 14th time this season, netting a game-high 22 points. Markeese Hastings added his second career double-double, as he chipped in 14 points and hauled down 14 rebounds. 

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Markeese Hastings notched his second career double-double at KSU, posting 14 points and 14 rebounds. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native has two of WMU's three double-doubles this season, with his first a 14-point, 12-rebound performance on Nov. 28 against Southeastern Louisiana. Mack Smith has the lone other double-double for the Broncos, having scored 14 points to go with 10 rebounds on Dec. 17 against Aquinas. 

PROTECTING THE ROCK
Western Michigan was plus-four in turnover margin on Tuesday, forcing the Golden Flashes into 12 miscues, while only turning it over eight times. The eight turnovers tied a season low for the Broncos, and it was the third time in the last four games WMU has kept its turnover total in single-digits.

WMU VS BALL STATE
Saturday's contest is slated to be the 136th all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Ball State. The Cardinals won last season's lone encounter, 76-68, to grab a 68-67 edge in the series. The Broncos are 23-41 all-time at BSU, and 9-20 at Worthen Arena. 

WHEN LAST WE MET
Western Michigan and Ball State last met on Dec. 12, 2020, with the Cardinals topping the Broncos, 76-68, at University Arena. Three players scored in double-figures for WMU, led by B. Artis White, who poured in a then career-high 20 points. Luke Bumbalough had a big game for BSU, making six-of-seven from the floor, including four-of-five from long range, for 17 points. 

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Ball State is looking to complete a 3-0 week, having beaten Miami on Tuesday and won at Northern Illinois on Thursday. Payton Sparks leads Ball State in both scoring (12.6 PPG) and rebounding (7.4 RPG). The freshman has taken his game up a notch in MAC play, averaging 16.9 points (T-8) and 9.6 boards (3rd) in conference games. 

SCORIN' NORMAN
Western Michigan newcomer Lamar Norman Jr. ranks third in the MAC at 19.5 points per game, and sits atop the conference in league play at 21.7 points per contest. With his 22 points at Kent State, the junior extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to 16 in a row. Norman is the only player in the league to have multiple 30-point games and has nine 20-point efforts, second-most in the conference. He currently leads the league and is tied for 15th in the country with 3.3 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, including rebounding (2nd, 8.6), offensive rebounding (3rd, 3.3), defensive rebounding (4th, 5.3) and field goal percentage (8th, .496). In MAC play, Hastings is leading the conference at 10.8 rebounds per game and his 18 rebounds at Toledo on Dec. 29 remains the highest single-game total by a MAC player this season.

CHASING 1500
After scoring seven points on Tuesday, WMU senior guard Mack Smith sits on 1490 career points, 10 shy of 1500. The Eastern Illinois transfer is currently tied for 88th on the NCAA DI active scoring leaders list.

MARTIN THE MARKSMAN 
After burying a pair of three-pointers on Tuesday, Adrian Martin moved up to fourth in the MAC in three-point shooting at 42.9 percent. The junior went a program-record 6-for-6 from downtown on Nov. 27.

348 AND COUNTING
WMU has made at least one three-pointer in 348 straight games dating back to 2011. 

ON THE HORIZON
WMU returns to Kalamazoo on Tuesday for its lone regular season matchup with NIU.