KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team returns to Kalamazoo on Saturday afternoon as it welcomes Youngstown State to University Arena. 
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (2-6) vs Youngstown State (6-3)

Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 9 – 1 pm

Site: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Saturday afternoon to face Youngstown State.
• The Broncos are coming off of an 86-65 loss at Notre Dame on Tuesday. 
• Titus Wright led Western Michigan with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
• For the season, Wright ranks fourth in the MAC with a .636 field goal percentage.
• Seth Hubbard added 13 points, and has scored in double-figures in seven of WMU's first eight games.
• Western Michigan grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and has had double-digit offensive boards in five of eight games.
• Saturday's game marks the seventh all-time meeting between WMU and YSU.
• The Broncos have won five of the previous six encounters, including all three prior meetings in Kalamazoo.
• The last meeting between the two was a 66-64 Western Michigan victory on Dec. 7, 2019, at University Arena.

SATURDAY MATINEE
Western Michigan returns home on Saturday afternoon as it welcomes Youngstown State to University Arena. Saturday's tilt is the penultimate non-conference home game for the Broncos, who are set to welcome Aquinas to Kalamazoo on Dec. 29.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of an 86-65 loss at Notre Dame on Tuesday evening. Titus Wright led Western Michigan with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Seth Hubbard was also in double-figures with 13 points. 

PROTECTING THE ROCK
Western Michigan turned it over a season-low nine times on Tuesday night in South Bend. On the defensive end, the Broncos forced the Fighting Irish into 13 turnovers, making WMU a season-best plus-four in turnover margin in the contest.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Titus Wright scored a team-high 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting at Notre Dame on Tuesday to continue his extremely efficient start to the season. After ranking fourth in the conference in field goal percentage last season at 58.7 percent, the seventh-best single-season mark in program history, the senior has made 50.0 percent of his field goals in all but one game this season and is up to 63.6 percent from the floor in 2023-24, the fourth-best mark in the MAC.

SUPER SOPHOMORE
After earning a spot on the All-MAC Freshman Team last year, Seth Hubbard has carried that momentum into his sophomore campaign, scoring in double-figures in seven of WMU's first eight games. Western Michigan's leading scorer at 15.4 points per game (11th MAC), Hubbard ranks third in the league with 2.5 made three-pointers per contest. 

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 five of its eight 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 11.4 offensive rebounds per contest, with Titus Wright's 2.6 offensive boards per game ranking fifth in the league. 

LENDING A HELPING HAND
Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro handed out 10 assists on Nov. 14 at Northwestern, the first double-digit assist performance by a Bronco since Thomas Wilder had 10 at Washington back on Dec. 18, 2016. De La Cruz Monegro is one of two MAC players (Giovanni Santiago, Kent State) to have a double-digit assist performance this season. He ranks seventh in the MAC in assists (3.1) and is tied for fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7). 

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
Western Michigan is tied for fourth in the MAC with 7.6 made three-pointers per game. WMU has made at least one triple in 399 straight games dating back to 2011. 

WMU VS THE HORIZON LEAGUE
This season marks the eighth consecutive in which Western Michigan will play at least one Horizon League program, the longest active streak for the Broncos facing any league in non-conference play. Over those eight seasons, WMU is 9-9 against Horizon League foes, which includes a pair of wins against Youngstown State. The Brown and Gold are slated to visit fellow Horizon League member Cleveland State on Dec. 21.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game marks the seventh all-time meeting between the Broncos and the Penguins. Western Michigan has won five of the previous six encounters, including all three prior meetings in Kalamazoo.

WHEN LAST WE MET
The last meeting between WMU and YSU came almost exactly four years to the day, Dec. 7, 2019. That day, Brandon Johnson hit a game-winning shot with 0.2 seconds left to give the Broncos a 66-64 home victory.

THE ROAD AHEAD
Western Michigan hits the road for its final two games before the holiday break, starting next Saturday, Dec. 16, at UIC.