KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team wraps up the 2024-25 regular season on Friday night as it heads to Bowling Green with a spot in next week's MAC Tournament on the line.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (11-19, 8-9 MAC) at Bowling Green (14-16, 8-9)

Date/Time: Friday, March 7 – 7 pm

Site: Stroh Center (Bowling Green, Ohio)

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: SIDEARM

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan closes out the 2024-25 regular season on Friday night as it visits Bowling Green at the Stroh Center. 
• The winner of Friday's matchup between the Broncos and Falcons clinches a spot in next week's MAC Tournament.
• WMU is coming off of a 77-76 loss to Kent State on Senior Night at University Arena.
• Chansey Willis Jr. paced the Broncos with 24 points and eight assists.
• Markhi Strickland had 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
• It marked the third straight game a Bronco recorded a double-double.
• Bowling Green enters Friday's matchup with a 78-51 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs. 
• The Broncos are 19-43 on the road in the series, but have won two of the last three meetings at the Stroh Center.
• BGSU won this season's first meeting, 83-79, in Kalamazoo back on Jan. 7.

WIN AND YOU'RE IN
Western Michigan closes out the regular season on Friday night as it travels to Bowling Green. The winner of Friday's contest secures a place in next week's MAC Tournament. The Broncos can also claim a spot in Cleveland with a Central Michigan loss to Northern Illinois on Friday night. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of a heartbreaking 77-76 Senior Night loss to Kent State on Tuesday night at University Arena. The two teams went back and forth all game long, with the contest featuring 13 ties and 11 lead changes. Chansey Willis Jr. scored five straight points in the final 90 seconds to put WMU ahead, 76-75, but a pair of free throws with four seconds remaining made the difference for the visitors. Willis led the Brown and Gold with 24 points, while Markhi Strickland tallied 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
After back-to-back double-doubles by Donovan Williams, WMU made it three straight games with a double-double on Tuesday as Markhi Strickland had 10 points and reeled in a career-high 10 rebounds. It was the first double-double for Strickland in his career, and it made him the fifth different Bronco to have at least one this season, joining Williams, Max Burton, JaVaughn Hannah and Owen Lobsinger. After not having scored in double-figures in 26 career games at the NCAA DI level coming into this season, Strickland has broken out in 2024-25, scoring 10 or more a team-high 21 times.

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WILLIS
Chansey Willis Jr. led the Broncos in scoring for the third straight game and team-leading 14th time on Tuesday as he netted 24 points and also tied his career high with eight assists. During MAC play, the junior is second in the conference in scoring (17.8 PPG), second in assists (5.8), tied for fifth in steals (1.7) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0).

CLEANING THE GLASS
Western Michigan continues to rank among the conference's best on the boards, leading the MAC in offensive rebounding (13.5, 17th in NCAA Division I), ranking second in overall rebounding (38.1, 47th DI) and fourth in rebounding margin (+3.3). In conference play, the Broncos are averaging a league-leading 13.9 offensive rebounds per game and their 38.2 total boards per contest are second. WMU has two players among the league leaders in overall rebounding, with Owen Lobsinger sixth at 6.5 per game and Donovan Williams eighth at 6.3.

GETTING OFFENSIVE
Western Michigan comes into Friday ranked 17th in NCAA Division I in offensive rebounding at 13.5 per game. Five Broncos are currently among the top-15 offensive rebounders in the MAC, with Owen Lobsinger pulling down 2.0 per game (11th), Donovan Williams at 2.0 (12th), JaVaughn Hannah at 1.9 (14th) and Max Burton and Markhi Strickland both tied for 15th at 1.8. In league play, Western Michigan has boosted its league-leading total to 13.9 per contest.

PROTECTING THE ROCK
The Broncos had just seven turnovers on Tuesday against Kent State, their second straight game and 10th overall with single-digit miscues this season. Western Michigan is averaging 11.1 turnovers per game, the third-fewest in the conference.

SERIES HISTORY
Bowling Green enters Friday's matchup with a 78-51 lead in the all-time series between the two programs. The Falcons have been dominant on their home floor, owning a 43-19 record against Western Michigan in Bowling Green. The Broncos have won two of their last three trips to the Stroh Center.

WHEN LAST WE MET
In the first meeting between the Broncos and Falcons back on Jan. 7 in Kalamazoo, WMU got out to a double-digit lead in the first half. Bowling Green made a run late in the first half to close the gap and eventually came all the way back to grab the victory, 83-79. Western Michigan had five players score in double-figures in the contest, led by Owen Lobsinger who netted 12 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.