KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team lost to Georgia Southern, 83-57, on Saturday afternoon in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.   
 
JaVaughn Hannah and Chansey Willis Jr. tallied 13 points apiece to lead the way for the Broncos (7-16), while Markhi Strickland chipped in with 10 points. Max Burton paced the Brown and the Gold on the glass with six rebounds. Willis contributed five boards, and also handed out a team-high six assists.
 
Western Michigan came out of the gates quickly, as it grabbed a 10-3 lead in the opening moments of the contest. Georgia Southern (13-12) countered with a 17-3 surge to move ahead, 22-15. The Broncos closed the gap to 28-24, before the Eagles rattled off 13 in a row to increase their cushion to 41-24. The visitors took a 41-26 advantage into the locker room.
 
In the early stages of the second half, a Josh Thomas three-pointer brought WMU back to within 11, 47-36. With the margin at 61-47, GSU put together a 12-2 stretch to put the game beyond reach.  
 
The Broncos shot 31.7 percent (19-of-60) for the contest, while Georgia Southern connected on 50.8 percent (32-of-63) from the field.
 
Western Michigan resumes Mid-American Conference play on Tuesday evening as it visits league-leading Akron. The Broncos and Zips are slated for a 7 pm tip on ESPN+.