The win snapped WMU’s three-game losing streak as WMU improved its overall record to 12-9 and 4-4 in Mid-American Conference play. Northern Illinois slipped to 10-11 (3-5 MAC) after losing for the third time over it's last four outings.
WMU had five players score . . .
Over the week against Toledo and Northern Illinois, Wilder had a combined 65 points on 52.7 percent shooting from the field. Wilder recorded a total of nine assists along with seven rebounds and was 22-of-25 from the free-throw line.
Sophomore Brandon Johnson collected 13 points against the Huskies on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor. He recorded a team-high seven rebounds along with one block and one steal in 32 minutes played.
Junior Josh Davis recorded 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. Davis went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Rounding out the scoring for the Broncos was senior Drake LaMont with 12 points and junior Bryce Moore with 11 points. All five starters for WMU reached double figures and scored 76 of the team’s 79 points.
Eugene German toped NIU scoring with 21 points. Levi Bradley was right behind with 20 points. Dante Thorpe rounded out the Huskies double-figure scoring.
Overall, WMU shot 53.8 percent from the floor including a staggering 60 percent in the second half alone. From long distance the Broncos connected on 10 three-pointers and were 13-of-17 from the free-throw line. WMU shot 50 percent from three and 80 percent from the charity stripe after intermission.
The Broncos scored 20 points off of 10 NIU turnovers and limited the Huskies to just 27.8 percent from the three-point line. NIU outrebounded WMU, 29-23 including 14-8 on the offensive boards.
WMU is now 37-8 at home all-time against the Huskies and has won 13 of the last 17 meetings overall. Head coach Steve Hawkins improved his record to 99-28 in home conference games while the Broncos are now 7-1 in Saturday contests.
Both teams struggled on offense early and the game was deadlocked at 15-15 for nearly five minutes midway through. The Huskies jumped out to their biggest lead of five at the four-minute mark of the first half thanks to a 13-3 run to lead 23-18. However, WMU battled back and went on a 9-0 run to end the period, with five points coming from Wilder to take a 31-27 lead into halftime.
The Broncos stormed out of the locker room to grab a five-point lead thanks to five straight points form Wilder. WMU’s offense then started to roll midway through the second half, connecting on eight straight field goals, four of which were three-pointers.
WMU never trailed in the second half, but NIU did manage to cut the Bronco lead to four with four minutes remaining. A three-pointer from the top of the key by Bryce Moore proved to be a key moment as the Broncos extended their lead to nine at the three-minute mark.
Western made eight straight free throws down the stretch to secure the seven-point home victory.
NEXT:
Western Michigan is at Eastern Michigan Tuesday, while Northern Illinois is at Central Michigan. Both games tip at 7 p.m. ET.
(Courtesy of WMU Athletics)