VALPARAISO, Ind. – Western Michigan senior guard Lamar Norman Jr. scored a team-high 25 points as the Broncos fell, 81-65, at Valparaiso in non-conference action on Sunday evening.
 
Norman's 25 points were the most scored by a Bronco so far during the young 2022-23 season. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native has scored in double-figures in 31 of 33 games since arriving at Western Michigan, with 16 games of 20+ points. He has led WMU in scoring 27 times in his career.
 
Joining Norman in double-figures was Tray Maddox Jr., who tallied 16 points, his highest total since transferring to WMU in the offseason. Titus Wright secured a game-high 12 rebounds to help the Broncos win the rebounding battle, 42-37. The 12 boards tied Wright's career high.
 
Western Michigan (1-2) won the opening tip and struck quickly, as Jefferson Monegro drove into the paint and found Wright for a jam to give the visitors the game's first basket. Valparaiso (1-1) answered with a 17-6 stretch to take a 17-8 advantage roughly six minutes into the contest. Maddox canned WMU's first three-pointer of the evening to spark a five-point burst which got the Broncos within four, 17-13, at the 11:18 mark.
 
Just past the midway point of the opening period, an 11-2 Valpo run pushed the hosts' lead to 35-22, the largest margin of the first half. WMU countered with 10 of the final 12 points of the half, including the last seven, to trim the halftime deficit to 40-36. Norman accounted for nine of the 10 points during the Western Michigan surge.
 
Trailing 50-42 with a little more than four minutes gone in the second half, Norman took over for the Broncos. The senior scored 10 consecutive Western Michigan points, with an old-fashioned three-point play getting WMU to within two, 54-52, with 13:16 to play.
 
Western Michigan had a chance to tie or take its first lead since 4-2 on each of its next two possessions, but the Beacons got a pair of defensive stops. After the second defensive stand, Valparaiso got out in transition and converted its own old-fashioned three-point play to ignite a 15-3 surge which put the hosts back up double-digits, 69-55, with just under eight minutes to play. The Broncos got no closer than 12 for the remainder of the contest.
 
The Broncos continue their travels Friday through Sunday, Nov. 18-20, at the Owl Invitational in Houston, Texas. Western Michigan begins the tournament at Houston Christian on Friday evening, with tip set for 8 pm.  
 
WMU returns to University Arena on Saturday, Nov. 26, to take on Cleveland State. To purchase tickets to any Western Michigan men's basketball home game this season, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets.