KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team begins a three-game road swing on Thursday night at Purdue Fort Wayne.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (2-1) at Purdue Fort Wayne (1-1)

Date/Time: Thursday, Nov. 12 – 7 pm

Site: Memorial Coliseum (Fort Wayne, Ind.)

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: SIDEARM

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan begins a three-game road stretch on Thursday evening with a visit to Purdue Fort Wayne.
• The Broncos made it a 2-0 homestand on Sunday afternoon with an 87-71 victory over Campbell at University Arena.
• Jaylen Washington had a career day, leading WMU with a career-high 27 points.
• Rob Lee Jr. nearly had Western Michigan's first double-double of the campaign, posting 16 points and nine rebounds.
• WMU committed a season-low seven turnovers for the afternoon.
• Western Michigan is allowing a league-low 61.3 points per game.
• The Broncos and Mastodons are meeting for the second straight season, with WMU leading the all-time series 3-1.
• Western Michigan won last season's encounter, 83-71, in Kalamazoo.
• Thursday's meeting marks the first in Fort Wayne, with three of the first four in Kalamazoo and one at a neutral site.

THE ROAD AHEAD
Western Michigan begins a three-game road swing on Thursday night as it travels down to Purdue Fort Wayne. WMU's three-game trip also includes visits to Southern Indiana (Nov. 15) and Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20), with its next home game not until Nov. 25 against Grace Christian. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos made it a 2-0 homestand by picking up an 87-71 victory over Campbell on Sunday afternoon at University Arena. Jaylen Washington paced Western Michigan with a career-high 27 points, while Rob Lee Jr. nearly had the team's first double-double of the season, netting 16 points and pulling down nine rebounds. Adam Harakow (12) and Augustinas Kiudulas (10) also scored in double-figures for the Brown and Gold. 

WATCHING WASHINGTON
Jaylen Washington had a career afternoon on Sunday against Campbell, going 10-for-18 from the field and making a career-high four three-pointers on the way to a career-high 27 points. The junior point guard leads WMU in scoring so far this season at 13.0 points per game on 48.3 percent shooting from the floor and 53.8 percent from three-point range. Washington also had five assists against the Camels and ranks top-10 in the MAC in both assists per game (4.3, 8th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.60, 9th).

TURNING UP THE D
Western Michigan's defense has been strong through its first three games, holding its opponents to 61.3 points per game, the lowest mark in the league and the 50th-best in NCAA Division I. The Broncos are third in the conference in field goal percentage defense at 38.3 percent and have limited their opponents to 27.7 percent from beyond the arc.

BALANCED BRONCOS
After Western Michigan had five players score in double-figures in the victory over Kalamazoo College, four Broncos were in double-figures on Sunday against Campbell. Jaylen Washington led the way with 27 points, while Rob Lee Jr. tallied 16, Adam Harakow had 12 and Augustinas Kiudulas chipped in 10. The Brown and Gold have had three different leading scorers in their first three games (Kiudulas, Mason Bendinger and Washington) and seven different players have scored in double-figures at least once.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
WMU enters Thursday's game having made at least one three-pointer in 489 straight games, dating back to the 2010-11 season. The Broncos were one shy of the program record with 17 made three-pointers in the Home Opener against Kalamazoo and followed that up with 13 more on Sunday against Campbell. Western Michigan has been one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country thus far, leading the MAC and ranking 22nd nationally with 12.7 made three's per game. The Brown and Gold are converting at a high rate as well, ranking third in the conference and 32nd in the nation at 41.8 percent from downtown.

CLEANING THE GLASS
The Broncos had another solid outing on the glass against Campbell, posting a plus-six margin (33-27) for the afternoon. Rob Lee Jr. paced the Brown and Gold with nine rebounds, just missing out on WMU's first double-double of the campaign. Through three games, Western Michigan is fourth in the conference at 42.7 rebounds per game and ranks third in the league and 60th nationally with a +11.3 rebounding margin. The Broncos are doing it by committee, with six players averaging between 4.3 and 6.3 rebounds per contest.

SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan and Purdue Fort Wayne are meeting for the second consecutive season and fifth time overall, with the Broncos holding a 3-1 edge through the first four encounters. The Brown and Gold took last season's matchup, 83-71, at University Arena in Kalamazoo. Thursday's contest marks the first time the two teams have ever met in Fort Wayne, with three of the first four meetings coming in Kalamazoo and the other coming at the 2021 Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Invitational down in Fort Myers, Fla.