KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Trailing by 11 at halftime, the Western Michigan men's basketball team outscored Bowling Green 69-42 after the break to rally back and knock off the Falcons, 108-92, on Saturday afternoon at University Arena.
 
The Broncos (6-11, 2-2 MAC) notched their 69 second-half points on 23-of-33 (69.7 percent) shooting, and 19-of-21 (90.5 percent) at the free throw line. It marked the first 60-plus point half for WMU since it netted 60 second-half points against UNCW on November 30, 2016.
 
Saturday marked the first time Western Michigan has surpassed 100 points in a game since pouring in 102 against Alma back on November, 19, 2019. It was the first 100-plus point effort against a MAC opponent since the Broncos won 100-90 in double overtime at Buffalo on January 29, 2008.
 
Western Michigan had six players in double-figures for the second time this season, with JaVaughn Hannah's career-high 24 points leading the way. Lamar Norman Jr. was right behind the freshman with 22 points, 21 of which came in the second half. Seth Hubbard tallied a career-high 15 points in the contest, with Titus Wright (13), Owen Lobsinger (12) and Tray Maddox Jr. (11) also scoring double-digit points for WMU.
 
Wright added a team-high seven rebounds for the afternoon, while Hannah and Markeese Hastings grabbed six apiece to help Western Michigan win the rebounding battle, 35-26. Norman notched a career-high eight assists, while Hastings picked up a career-high five helpers.
 
Bowling Green (8-9, 2-2 MAC) got out to an early advantage, using 9-0 and 8-0 runs to build a double-digit cushion, 28-15, near the midway point of the opening period. A 7-2 stretch helped the Broncos trim the gap down to seven, 43-36, with 3:05 remaining in the first half. BGSU pushed its lead back into double-figures just before halftime, and took a 50-39 edge into the locker room.
 
Western Michigan came out on fire after the break, and used a 21-2 surge to take a nine-point deficit and turn it into a 10-point lead, 69-59, with 10:53 on the clock. During the run, the Bronco defense had a seven-minute stretch where it limited the Falcons to one made field goal.
 
BGSU chipped away at the margin and got it down to as little as six on a couple of occasions, including 86-80 with five minutes remaining. The Broncos responded with six in a row to push their lead out to 12, 92-80, with 3:18 to play, and maintained a double-digit cushion for the remainder of the game.
 
Both teams connected on over half of their field goals for the game, with Western Michigan shooting 56.1 percent (37-of-66) and Bowling Green at 58.3 percent (35-of-60) for the day. The Broncos shot 30 free throws for the second consecutive game, and made a season-high 25 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe.
 
WMU committed a season-low four turnovers to help lead to a 17-8 advantage in points scored off of turnovers, as well as a 21-10 edge in fast break points.
 
Western Michigan hits the road on Tuesday, Jan. 17, for the first of two regular season meetings against Ball State. The Broncos and Cardinals are set for a 7 pm start on ESPN+.
 
The Broncos are back at home on Saturday, Jan. 21 for a doubleheader with the WMU women's team. The women's team begins the day at noon against Buffalo, with the men's team taking on Akron at 2:30 pm. Saturday will be a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Western Michigan's 1997-98 MAC Championship team, which will be honored at halftime of the men's game. To purchase tickets to any Western Michigan men's basketball home game this season, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets.

Postgame Press Conference with freshman guard JaVaughn Hannah and head coach Dwayne Stephens: