KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team wraps up its holiday homestand on Monday afternoon against Defiance College.
GAME INFO
Matchup: Western Michigan (5-7) vs Defiance (6-5)
Date/Time: Monday, Dec. 22 – 1 pm
Site: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets
Video: ESPN+
Radio: Bronco Media Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
OPENING TIP
- Western Michigan hosts Defiance College on Monday afternoon in its final game before the holiday break.
- The Broncos are coming off of an 88-71 loss to Buffalo on Saturday in the opening game of Mid-American Conference play.
- Jalen Griffith paced the Brown and Gold with 18 points against the Bulls.
- Hudson Ward netted a career-high 13 points off of the WMU bench.
- Jayden Brewer was also in double-figures with 12 points, and is now 23 points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career.
- Western Michigan and Defiance are meeting for the second time ever on Monday.
- The Broncos won the only prior meeting, 68-39, back on Dec. 6, 1941.
- Members of the WHAC in the NAIA, Defiance College is playing Monday's contest as an exhibition game.
- It is the second exhibition game against an NCAA DI program for DC, which lost at Oakland, 113-47, back on Nov. 15.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Western Michigan wraps up its holiday homestand on Monday afternoon with a non-conference tilt against Defiance College. Monday is the final contest for WMU before its holiday break. The Brown and Gold will resume action on Dec. 30 at Toledo.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos opened MAC play with an 88-71 loss to Buffalo on Saturday afternoon.
Jalen Griffith paced the Brown and Gold with 18 points, while
Hudson Ward added a career-high 13 points off of the bench and
Jayden Brewer chipped in 12 points.
THE GIVING SEASON
As a team, Western Michigan handed out 18 assists on Saturday which tied its season high. Leading the way for the Broncos was
EJ Ryans, who picked up a season-high six assists.
Jalen Griffith collected four assists, and
Max Burton chipped in three for WMU.
GRIFF GETTING IT DONE
Jalen Griffith netted 18 points on Saturday to lead Western Michigan in scoring for the sixth time this season. The junior has been in double-figures seven times already in 2025-26 and has recorded five or more assists in five contests, including a career-high 10 to record the first double-double of his collegiate career in the win at SIUE on Dec. 6. Griffith leads WMU in both categories, and ranks ninth in the MAC in scoring (16.0 PPG), fifth in assists (4.6 APG) and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.4).
LET JAYDEN BREW
Jayden Brewer was in double-figures for the seventh time this season on Saturday, tallying 12 points in the loss to Buffalo. The FIU transfer has been a key addition for the Broncos this season, ranking second on the team and 18th in the conference in scoring at 13.4 points per game, and also leading the Brown and Gold and sitting in a tie for sixth in the league in rebounding at 7.2 per contest. After Saturday's game, Brewer has tallied 977 career points, 23 shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Rebounding has been a hallmark for Western Michigan in the four years under head coach
Dwayne Stephens, and that has continued so far in 2025-26, with the Brown and Gold ranking third in the league at 37.6 rebounds per game.
Jayden Brewer has been WMU's top rebounder at 7.2 per contest, tied for sixth in the league, while
Max Burton is just outside the top-10 at 6.0 per game.
BALANCED BRONCOS
With
Hudson Ward tallying a career-high 13 points off of the bench on Saturday afternoon against Buffalo, Western Michigan now has had nine different players score in double-figures at least once this season. Four different Broncos have netted at least 20 points in a game, and five different players have led WMU in scoring through its first 12 games. Leading the charge with seven double-digit scoring games apiece are
Jayden Brewer and
Jalen Griffith.
DIALING LONG DISTANCE
The Broncos enter Monday having made at least one three-pointer in 467 straight games, dating back to the 2010-11 season. Western Michigan netted 10 three-pointers on Saturday against Buffalo, giving the Brown and Gold double-digit triples in three of their last four contests.
Brady Swartz has been WMU's top sharpshooter, hitting three-pointers at a 45.5 percent clip, the fourth-best mark in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan and Defiance College are meeting for just the second time ever on Monday. The Broncos won the only prior meeting between the two, 68-39, back on Dec. 6, 1941, in Kalamazoo.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Members of the WHAC in the NAIA, Defiance College is out to a 6-5 start. The Yellow Jackets hang their hats on the defensive end, yielding 70.5 points per game. Monday's contest, which is an exhibition game for the visitors, is DC's second game this year against an NCAA DI opponent, having fallen at Oakland, 113-47, back on Nov. 15.
THE ROAD AHEAD
WMU returns from its holiday break and resumes MAC play on Dec. 30, with a trip to Toledo for the first of two regular season meetings with the Rockets.
