DeKALB, Ill. – Donovan Williams posted a double-double for the second consecutive game to help the Western Michigan men's basketball complete a season sweep of Northern Illinois with a 74-70 victory on Saturday in DeKalb. It marks the first season sweep for the Broncos over the Huskies since the 2013-14 season.
 
Williams collected 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds to help the Broncos (11-18, 8-8 MAC) to a plus-11 margin (41-30) on the glass. WMU's rebounding advantage included a 13-4 edge on the offensive glass, which led to a 19-4 discrepancy in second-chance points.
 
Joining Williams in double-figures for the Brown and Gold were Chansey Willis Jr. (17 points), Markhi Strickland (14) and Owen Lobsinger (12). Willis also handed out a team-high seven assists, one shy of his career high.  
 
Western Michigan was out of the gates quickly, netting 12 points in a row on the way to a 17-4 start in the game's first five minutes. With just under 12 minutes to go in the first half, Lobsinger nailed his third three-pointer to push the margin to 25-10, which matched WMU's largest cushion of the game.
 
In the waning moments of the first half, Northern Illinois (5-24, 1-15) used an eight-point spurt to close the gap to 38-32. Willis netted the final five points of the period for the Broncos, who took a 43-34 advantage into the break. Western Michigan made 54.5 percent (18-of-33) of its field goal attempts in the first half.  
 
The Huskies continued to chip away after halftime, and used a 7-0 run to move ahead, 54-53, with just over 12 minutes remaining. With the margin at 56-55, WMU rattled off 10 consecutive points, capped by a JaVaughn Hannah old-fashioned three-point play, to reclaim the lead, 65-56.
 
Williams canned a three-pointer with just over four-and-a-half minutes to play to push the margin back into double-digits, 71-61. NIU did not go away, and tallied the next eight points to get back to within two, 71-69, with 90 seconds to go. That was as close as the Huskies could get, however, as Lobsinger hit three free throws in the final seconds to help the Broncos hang on for the victory.

WMU made 27-of-62 (43.5 percent) from the floor in the contest, while Northern Illinois went 26-of-53 (49.1 percent) from the field. The Broncos were also plus-six in turnover margin (8-14), marking the ninth time this season they have posted single-digit miscues.
 
Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Tuesday night as it hosts Kent State for Senior Night. Tip between the Broncos and Golden Flashes is set for 7 pm. For tickets, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets.