KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Sophomore point guard Thomas Wilder scored all seven of Western Michigan's points in overtime, and the Broncos successfully defended a last shot by Northeastern, holding on for an 87-86 win at University Arena Monday.
The ending was nothing short of dramatic as …
The ending was nothing short of dramatic as …
… each team had its opportunities to play spoiler. At the end of regulation, Northeastern's David Walker got a game-tying three to bounce in with 18 seconds left to force overtime. The Broncos had two looks in the final seconds of the second half, a short jumper in the lane by freshman Josh Davis and an off balance shot at the buzzer by Tucker Haymond, but neither would fall.
Wilder opened overtime play with a long jumper and a three-pointer to put WMU up five, 85-80. The Huskies pulled even on five straight points from Jeremy Miller, scoring a pair of layups and an and-one.
Wilder drove and finished with 47 seconds left in OT to give WMU an 87-85 lead. NU's Walker had a rare miss from the free throw line, but made the second free throw to put the score at 87-86. WMU's Davis missed two free throws with 28 seconds left and both teams turned the ball over in the final 10 seconds.
Northeastern had a final possession with six seconds remaining in overtime. Walker took a heavily contested shot by Haymond that clanked off the iron. An offensive rebound and putback by Miller for Northeastern would not go as time expired.
With the win, Western Michigan improved its record to 4-5 and remained undefeated at home (3-0).
"It was a heck of a ball game," said WMU head coach Steve Hawkins. "I felt like both teams played well. The ball went through the basket, so it was an aesthetically pleasing game for everybody to see. You can see how good their team is.
"We played well offensively and we had to because Northeastern is such a good team. We had to keep up and we were able to do that just long enough to where we could finally have a little spurt that went in our favor for once. In the past eight games, in some of those losses, that spurt went the other direction."
Western Michigan placed five players in double figures scoring for the first time this season. Haymond had a team-high 26 points, followed by Wilder with 17 and Anthony Avery Jr. with 13.
In his first game back after suffering a concussion on Nov. 23 against Rochester, Davis came off the bench to tally 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Drake LaMont also chipped in 10 points off the bench. The Bronco reserves outscored Northeastern's 29-6.
Western Michigan shot a season-high 54.1 percent from the field and knocked down nine three's. The Broncos also won the rebounding battle, 38-32. Avery collected six boards and Haymond and Wilder each pulled down five.
The game was close throughout the night. Western Michigan's largest lead was by six with 8:23 left in the second half and Northeastern briefly led by seven with 14:49 left in regulation. The Huskies held a four-point advantage at halftime, 44-40.
Walker led all scorers and four Huskies in double figures with a game-high 31 points. Zach Stahl recorded 16 points.
Northeastern's record slipped to 6-3 on the season. The Huskies are coming off a 23-12 (12-6 CAA) record last year, splitting a tie for the Colonial Athletic Association regular season title and winning the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Earlier this year, Northeastern upset the No. 15/19 ranked Miami Hurricanes in Florida, 78-77.
Monday’s game kicked off a three-game homestand for Western Michigan and a stretch of games in which WMU is home for 5 of 6 contests. The Broncos host Marygrove Saturday at 4:30 p.m. following a WMU women's game against Detroit at 2 p.m.
(Courtesy of WMU Athletics)
Wilder opened overtime play with a long jumper and a three-pointer to put WMU up five, 85-80. The Huskies pulled even on five straight points from Jeremy Miller, scoring a pair of layups and an and-one.
Wilder drove and finished with 47 seconds left in OT to give WMU an 87-85 lead. NU's Walker had a rare miss from the free throw line, but made the second free throw to put the score at 87-86. WMU's Davis missed two free throws with 28 seconds left and both teams turned the ball over in the final 10 seconds.
Northeastern had a final possession with six seconds remaining in overtime. Walker took a heavily contested shot by Haymond that clanked off the iron. An offensive rebound and putback by Miller for Northeastern would not go as time expired.
With the win, Western Michigan improved its record to 4-5 and remained undefeated at home (3-0).
"It was a heck of a ball game," said WMU head coach Steve Hawkins. "I felt like both teams played well. The ball went through the basket, so it was an aesthetically pleasing game for everybody to see. You can see how good their team is.
"We played well offensively and we had to because Northeastern is such a good team. We had to keep up and we were able to do that just long enough to where we could finally have a little spurt that went in our favor for once. In the past eight games, in some of those losses, that spurt went the other direction."
Western Michigan placed five players in double figures scoring for the first time this season. Haymond had a team-high 26 points, followed by Wilder with 17 and Anthony Avery Jr. with 13.
In his first game back after suffering a concussion on Nov. 23 against Rochester, Davis came off the bench to tally 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Drake LaMont also chipped in 10 points off the bench. The Bronco reserves outscored Northeastern's 29-6.
Western Michigan shot a season-high 54.1 percent from the field and knocked down nine three's. The Broncos also won the rebounding battle, 38-32. Avery collected six boards and Haymond and Wilder each pulled down five.
The game was close throughout the night. Western Michigan's largest lead was by six with 8:23 left in the second half and Northeastern briefly led by seven with 14:49 left in regulation. The Huskies held a four-point advantage at halftime, 44-40.
Walker led all scorers and four Huskies in double figures with a game-high 31 points. Zach Stahl recorded 16 points.
Northeastern's record slipped to 6-3 on the season. The Huskies are coming off a 23-12 (12-6 CAA) record last year, splitting a tie for the Colonial Athletic Association regular season title and winning the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Earlier this year, Northeastern upset the No. 15/19 ranked Miami Hurricanes in Florida, 78-77.
Monday’s game kicked off a three-game homestand for Western Michigan and a stretch of games in which WMU is home for 5 of 6 contests. The Broncos host Marygrove Saturday at 4:30 p.m. following a WMU women's game against Detroit at 2 p.m.
(Courtesy of WMU Athletics)
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