KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team hits the road on Saturday afternoon to take on Akron.
GAME INFO
Matchup: Western Michigan (7-10, 1-4 MAC) at Akron (13-4, 4-1)
Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 17 – 2 pm
Site: James A. Rhodes Arena (Akron, Ohio)
Video: ESPN+
Radio: Bronco Media Network
Live Stats: SIDEARM
OPENING TIP
- Western Michigan hits the road on Saturday afternoon to take on Akron.
- The Broncos are coming off of an 85-82 loss to UMass on Tuesday evening.
- Justice Williams went 10-of-13 from the floor and hit five three-pointers to lead WMU with a career-high 29 points.
- EJ Ryans and Brady Swartz chipped in 12 points apiece for Western Michigan.
- The Broncos made a total of 12 three-pointers, tied for their season high.
- Western Michigan is tied for the MAC lead at 13.2 offensive rebounds in league play.
- The Broncos have limited conference opponents to 28.3 percent on three-pointers, the second-best mark in the league.
- Akron owns a 40-22 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs.
- The Zips won last season's lone meeting on their home floor, 105-92, and own a 23-5 all-time mark at home against WMU.
- The rematch between the Broncos and Zips is slated for Feb. 17 in Kalamazoo.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Western Michigan hits the road on Saturday to take on MAC preseason favorite Akron. After going 5-4 on the road in conference play last season, the first winning record for WMU in league road games since 2013-14, the Broncos are searching for their first MAC road win of the season on Saturday, having dropped their first two at Toledo and Miami.
LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos faced a double-digit deficit in the second half on Tuesday, and nearly rallied all the way back before ultimately falling to UMass, 85-82.
Justice Williams paced WMU with a career-high 29 points, while
EJ Ryans and
Brady Swartz notched 12 points apiece.
SECOND-HALF SURGE
Western Michigan has gotten hot in the second half of its last two games, averaging 48.0 points after halftime against Eastern Michigan and UMass. Against EMU, the Broncos went 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) from the floor and made 7-of-9 three-point tries after the break to turn a six-point halftime deficit into a 79-62 victory. On Tuesday, the Broncos connected on 50.0 percent of their field goals (15-of-30) and three-pointers (9-of-18) after halftime, and nearly rallied from a 16-point, second-half deficit for a second straight come-from-behind win.
WILLIAMS GOES WILD
Justice Williams had a career night on Tuesday against UMass, going 10-for-13, including 5-of-8 from downtown, on the way to a career-high 29 points. The redshirt senior did most of his damage after halftime, going 6-for-8 from the field and netting 18 points after the intermission. Williams ranks 10th in the league in scoring in conference play at 17.5 points per contest.
BALANCED BRONCOS
Western Michigan has featured a balanced attack all season long, with 11 different Broncos having scored in double-figures at least once, and five having posted at least one game with 20 or more points. Leading the charge with 10 double-digit scoring performances apiece are
Jayden Brewer and
Jalen Griffith. Six different players have been WMU's top scorer in a game this season, led by Griffith, who has done so eight times.
GETTING OFFENSIVE
WMU has greatly improved its offensive rebounding in MAC play, going from averaging 10.9 offensive rebounds in non-conference contests, to 13.2 during conference action, tied for the most in the league.
Max Burton has led the charge on the offensive glass for the Brown and Gold, grabbing 2.8 offensive boards per game against MAC foes, tied for fourth-most in the league.
GRIFF GETTING IT DONE
Jalen Griffith has been Western Michigan's top scorer and distributor in his first season for the Brown and Gold, averaging 14.9 points per game, 13th in the MAC, and 4.2 assists per game, ninth-most in the league. The Navarro College transfer is tied for the team lead with 10 double-digit scoring efforts this season and has topped the Broncos in scoring a team-high eight times.
DIALING LONG DISTANCE
The Broncos made 12 three-pointers on Tuesday against UMass to tie their season high.
Brady Swartz hit a pair of triples to boost his three-point percentage to 47.4, tied for the best mark in the MAC. Western Michigan enters Saturday having made at least one three-pointer in 472 straight games, dating back to the 2010-11 season.
DEFENDING THE ARC
WMU has stepped up its defense of the three-point line in conference play, allowing MAC foes to hit just 28.3 percent from downtown, the second-best mark in the league.
SERIES HISTORY
Akron enters Saturday's matchup with a 40-22 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs. The two teams played just once in 2024-25, with the Zips taking a 105-92 victory on their home floor. Akron has won 14 straight at home against the Broncos, with WMU's last road win in the series coming back on Jan. 3, 2004.
ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan returns to University Arena for its next two games, starting on Tuesday evening against Bowling Green.
