KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team begins a stretch of four out of five on the road on Saturday afternoon as it heads to Chicago to face UIC.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (2-7) at UIC (6-4)

Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 16 – 2 pm

Site: Credit Union 1 Arena (Chicago, Ill.)

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan hits the road for its final two games before the holiday break, starting Saturday afternoon at UIC.
• The Broncos are coming off of a 72-68 loss to Youngstown State last Saturday.
• JaVaughn Hannah led WMU with a season-high 18 points, while Owen Lobsinger had 17 points and nine rebounds.
• The Broncos committed single-digit turnovers (9) for the second straight game.
• Western Michigan grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and has had double-digit offensive boards in six of its nine games.
• Saturday's game marks the 10th all-time meeting between WMU and UIC, with the Broncos holding a 5-4 advantage.
• The two teams met last year at University Arena, with the Flames holding off a late Western Michigan rally to win, 62-56.
• The last meeting in Chicago between the two came on Dec. 10, 1994, with WMU coming out on top, 75-72, its lone win in three road tilts against the Flames. 

THE ROAD AHEAD
Western Michigan begins a stretch of four out of five on the road on Saturday at UIC. WMU's final game before its holiday break is Dec. 21 at Cleveland State. Following the break, the Broncos host Aquinas on Dec. 29, before starting MAC play with road contests at Miami (Jan. 2) and Buffalo (Jan. 6).

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of a 72-68 loss to Youngstown State last Saturday at University Arena. The Penguins led throughout much of the first half and into the second, but a Western Michigan run gave it a 53-51 lead with 8:46 to play. YSU responded with an 11-2 run and withstood a WMU charge in the final minute to hang on for the victory. JaVaughn Hannah led the Broncos with a season-high 18 points, while Owen Lobsinger contributed 17 points and nine rebounds. 

PROTECTING THE ROCK
Western Michigan committed single-digit turnovers for the second consecutive contest on Saturday, tying their season low with nine. Defensively, the Broncos forced YSU into 12 miscues for a plus-three turnover margin, the second consecutive game in which WMU has won the turnover battle.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Titus Wright went 3-for-5 from the floor against Youngstown State, making it seven out of nine games he's hit at least 60.0 percent of his field goal attempts. After ranking fourth in the league in field goal percentage last season at 58.7 percent, the seventh-best single-season mark in program history, the senior is up to 63.3 percent from the floor in 2023-24, the fourth-best mark in the MAC.

ON THE OFFENSIVE
After leading the conference in offensive rebounding a season ago at 12.2 per game, Western Michigan has secured double-digit offensive rebounds in six of its nine games this season to once again rank near the top of the league on the offensive glass. The Broncos enter the weekend third in the MAC at 11.3 offensive rebounds per contest, with Titus Wright's 2.8 offensive boards per game ranking fifth in the league. 

LENDING A HELPING HAND
Behind the combination of Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro and B. Artis White, the Broncos are the only team in the MAC to have two players in the top-10 in the conference in assists per game. De La Cruz Monegro ranks eighth at 2.9 per game, while White tied his career high with six helpers on Saturday against Youngstown State to move into 10th, with an average of 2.7 per contest. 

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
After hitting seven against YSU, the Broncos have made at least one three-pointer in 400 straight games dating back to 2011. 

WMU VS THE VALLEY
This season marks the third in a row that Western Michigan has faced a team from the Missouri Valley Conference. The Broncos are looking to snap a three-game slide against MVC opponents, with WMU's most recent win over a team from The Valley coming on Nov. 22, 2014, against Drake. 

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game marks the 10th all-time meeting between WMU and UIC, with the Broncos holding a 5-4 advantage in the series. The last meeting in Chicago between the two came on Dec. 10, 1994, with WMU coming out on top, 75-72, its lone win in three road tilts against the Flames. 

WHEN LAST WE MET
The Broncos and Flames met last season at University Arena in what was the first matchup between the two since the 2003 NIT. UIC led by double-digits for much of the game until a 13-0 run brought Western Michigan to within four in the final minute. WMU held the visitors without a field goal for the final 4:26 of the game, but the Flames made their free throws down the stretch to hang on for a 62-56 victory. The Brown and Gold dominated on the glass that afternoon, holding a 51-22 rebounding edge. Tafari Simms led WMU with 24 points and 12 rebounds. 

THE ROAD AHEAD
Western Michigan heads to Cleveland State on Thursday, Dec. 21, for its final game prior to its holiday break.