HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team fell, 86-54, at Southern Mississippi on Saturday afternoon as part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
 
Seth Hubbard led the Broncos (8-16) with 17 points for the afternoon. Hubbard went 10-for-11 from the free throw line to set new career highs in both free throws made and attempted. Joining Hubbard in double-figures for WMU were Owen Lobsinger (12) and Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro (10). Anthony Crump pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while Lobsinger corralled seven boards. De La Cruz Monegro handed out five assists.
 
With Southern Miss (14-11) holding a 13-12 edge, the hosts put together a 17-4 stretch to build a 14-point margin, 30-16, just over halfway through the opening period. USM's lead got as high as 16 in the first half, 36-20, before a 13-0 surge brought the Broncos back to within three, 36-33, in the final minute. During the run, Western Michigan held the home team scoreless for nearly six minutes and without a field goal for nearly seven minutes. The Golden Eagles tallied the last four points of the half, including a buzzer-beating, three-pointer, to take a 40-33 cushion into the break.
 
WMU trimmed the margin to five, 45-40, on a Hubbard jumper three minutes into the second half. The Golden Eagles briefly got their lead back to double-digits, 52-42, but three Hubbard free throws and a Lobsinger triple got Western Michigan back to within six, 54-48, with 12:33 to play. The Broncos did not get any closer however, as Southern Miss rattled off 21 consecutive points to put the game beyond reach.
 
For the afternoon, Western Michigan connected on 30.6 percent (15-of-49) from the floor, while Southern Miss made 55.9 percent (33-of-59) of its field goals. The Broncos converted 21-of-26 (80.8 percent) of their attempts from the foul line.
 
Western Michigan now has a week to prepare for its next contest, which is a rematch with rival Central Michigan next Saturday night, Feb. 17, up in Mount Pleasant. The Broncos and Chippewas are scheduled for a 7 pm tip on ESPN+.