KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team begins a two-game road stretch on Saturday night as it heads up to Mount Pleasant to face rival Central Michigan.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (5-13, 2-4 MAC) at Central Michigan (8-10, 2-4)

Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 25 – 7 pm

Site: McGuirk Arena (Mount Pleasant, Mich.)

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: SIDEARM

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan begins a two-game road stretch on Saturday night as it visits rival Central Michigan.
• The Broncos are coming off of a 72-70 home win on Tuesday against NIU.
• Chansey Willis Jr. led WMU in scoring for the sixth time in 10 games with 18 points.
• A total of five Broncos scored in double-figures for the sixth time this season.
• Max Burton nearly had his second double-double, posting 10 points and nine rebounds off of the bench.
• The Broncos won the rebounding battle 42-27, the sixth time they have had a double-digit advantage on the glass.
• Western Michigan sits atop the MAC in both offensive rebounding (13.7), and rebounding margin (+5.3).
• The Broncos own a 95-58 lead in the all-time series against CMU.
• The Chippewas have won three straight in Mount Pleasant, with WMU's last road win in the series coming back on Feb. 6, 2021. 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Western Michigan begins a two-game road stretch on Saturday evening as it travels up to Mount Pleasant to face Central Michigan.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of a 72-70 win over Northern Illinois on Tuesday night. Five players scored in double-figures for Western Michigan, led by Chansey Willis Jr.'s 18 points. Max Burton nearly posted his second double-double of the year, as he totaled 10 points and nine rebounds off of the bench.

BALANCED BRONCOS
Western Michigan had five players score in double-figures for the sixth time this season in Tuesday's victory over NIU. Chansey Willis Jr. paced WMU with 18 points, JaVaughn Hannah had 17, Donovan Williams tallied 15 in his first start of the campaign, and the duo of Max Burton and Markhi Strickland scored 10 points apiece. Seven different Broncos have led the team in scoring this season, led by Willis, who has done it six times.

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WILLIS
Chansey Willis Jr. made it 10 straight games scoring in double-figures to begin his career as a Bronco with his team-high 18 points on Tuesday night. The junior also tied his season high with seven assists against the Huskies. While he is still a few games shy of qualifying for the league leaders, Willis would rank third in the conference in scoring at 16.2 points per game and second in assists at 5.7. In MAC play, he is fifth in scoring (16.5) and tied for second in assists (5.7).

HANNAH HEATING UP
JaVaughn Hannah netted 17 points in Tuesday's win, giving him 10 or more points in five of WMU's first six league games. Of his 28 career double-digit scoring performances, 17 have come during conference play for the reigning MAC Sixth Man of the Year. The junior is also averaging nearly 3.0 assists per game in MAC play, and handed out a career-high five helpers in the win over NIU.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Western Michigan owned a 42-27 rebounding advantage on Tuesday against Northern Illinois, the 11th time it has won the rebounding battle and sixth time it has done so by double-digits this season. The Broncos enter the weekend leading the MAC in both rebounding margin (+5.3) and offensive rebounding (13.7), and ranking second in overall rebounding (38.8). 

GETTING OFFENSIVE
The Broncos are looking to make it three straight seasons leading the MAC in offensive rebounding, and after grabbing 19 on Tuesday are up to a league-best 13.7 per contest, which ranks 25th in NCAA DI. WMU has three of the league's top-11 offensive rebounders in Owen Lobsinger (2.2, 8th), Max Burton (2.1, 9th) and Donovan Williams (1.9, 11th). In conference play, Western Michigan is averaging a league-leading 15.2 offensive boards per game, with Lobsinger's 3.0 offensive rebounds ranked fourth in the MAC.

OWEN-ING THE GLASS
Western Michigan's strong rebounding efforts have been led all season long by Owen Lobsinger, who is third in the league at 7.4 per game. The senior is atop the conference in defensive rebounds at 5.2 per contest.

SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan owns a 95-58 lead in the all-time series against Central Michigan. CMU holds a 34-29 edge when the two teams have played in Mount Pleasant, and has won three straight meetings on its home floor. The last road win for the Broncos in the series came back on Feb. 6, 2021.

SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS
Central Michigan comes into Saturday's matchup with the second-best defense in the conference, yielding an average of 70.2 points per game. The Chippewas rank in the top-third of the league in both field goal percentage defense (.427, 3rd) and three-point percentage defense (.318, 4th). CMU is also one of the top rebounding teams in the MAC, ranking second in rebounding margin (+4.6) and third in total rebounding (37.0).

THE ROAD AHEAD
The Broncos hit the road again on Tuesday evening as they visit Ball State.