COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Western Michigan men's basketball team got a career-high 24 points from sophomore guard Seth Hubbard on Sunday, but the Broncos fell to Ohio State, 73-56, in the opening game of the Emerald Coast Classic.  
 
Hubbard's career-high 24 points came on 10-of-18 shooting, with the 10 made field goals also a new career-best for the sophomore. He also tied a career high with four three-pointers in the contest. On the glass, Western Michigan (0-4) was led by Owen Lobsinger, who corralled a career-high 11 rebounds.
 
Ohio State (3-1) got out to an early advantage, picking up seven of the game's first nine points. At the 15:29 mark, Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro made a layup to get WMU to within three, 9-6. The Buckeyes proceeded to go on an extended run to stretch their advantage to 30-9. Six straight points by the Broncos brought the margin down to 30-15, but OSU took a 41-21 lead into the halftime locker room.
 
The hosts continued to add to their advantage in the early stages of the second half. Near the midway point of the second period, Western Michigan rattled off 10 in a row, eight of which were scored by Hubbard, to cut into the deficit. The 10 consecutive points started a stretch during which the Broncos outscored the Buckeyes 19-5 over the final 10:28 of the contest.
 
Western Michigan struggled from the field for much of the contest, as it shot 37.1 percent (23-of-62), while Ohio State made 46.8 percent (29-of-62) of its shots.
 
The Broncos head south to Niceville, Fla., on Friday afternoon to continue the Emerald Coast Classic against Southeastern Louisiana. Tip is set for 2:30 pm.