WMU was led by the trio of Seth Dugan, Michael Flowers and Kawanise Wilkins, who combined for 56 points, 25 rebounds and 11 assists in the victory.
Flowers led all scorers with 24 points and flirted with a triple-double with eight rebounds and six assists. It’s the seventh straight game that the sophomore guard has scored in double figures and the fifth time this season scoring over 20 points. From the free-throw line, Flowers was a staggering 12-of-13.
Recording his first double-double of the season was fellow sophomore Kawanise Wilkins with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Wilkins shot a remarkable 70 percent (7-10) from the floor and was 3-of-5 from the free-throw line. Adding to his double-double, the sophomore forward had two assists and one steal.
Senior Seth Dugan reached double figures for the ninth time this season, scoring 14 points and corralling five rebounds in 30 minutes played. The Otsego, Mich., native went 5-of-11 from the field along with three assists.
Freshman William Boyer-Richard made his first career start for the Broncos and played 33 minutes, registering six points along with two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Off the bench, fellow freshman Patrick Emilien ranked fourth on the team with four rebounds and two steals.
WMU got to the free-throw line early and often against the Highlanders, going 22-of-27, including 18-of-21 in the second half. The Brown & Gold have been near automatic from the charity stripe in the past two games, combining to go 32-of-39 against UC Riverside and Milwaukee.
Overall the Broncos had a season-low nine turnovers and held UC Riverside to just 39.7 percent from the field. The Broncos outrebounded the Highlanders, 40-35 and held an 11-8 advantage on the offensive glass. For the game, the Broncos held the lead for nearly 38 minutes.
Western Michigan ends non-conference play with an overall record of 6-7, marking the third time in the last four years the Broncos have recorded at least five non-conference wins. The Broncos begin Mid-American Conference play on the road at Akron on Saturday, Jan. 5. WMU then travels to Kent State (Jan.8) before hosting defending MAC West champion Toledo on Saturday, Jan.12.
Western trailed by two early in the first half before the Broncos hit three straight three-pointers to spark a 9-2 run to gain an 11-6 advantage at the 14-minute mark. Later in the first half, Flowers connected on a three-pointer to give WMU a double-digit lead at 27-17 with 6:29 left.
UC Riverside cut the Bronco lead down to two with three minutes left in the first half after embarking on an 8-0 run, holding WMU scoreless for nearly three minutes. However, the Broncos responded with back-to-back "and-ones" by Flowers and Wilkins to extend their lead back to seven. WMU shot just 38.7 percent in the first half and took a 34-28 lead into the locker room.
Wilkins jump started the offense in the second half, scoring six of the first seven points for WMU to hold a 41-34 lead at the 15-minute mark. The Bronco lead was once again slimmed after the Highlanders made four of their next five field goals but a 5-0 WMU run pushed the lead back to nine with a little over 10 minutes to play.
Midway through the second half both teams went on nearly four-minute scoring droughts before a 7-0 Bronco run gave the Brown & Gold its biggest lead of the game at 58-45. Down the stretch, WMU went 3-of-5 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line to secure the 73-64 victory.