FULLERTON, Calif. – The Western Michigan Broncos broke a modest two-game losing streak with a complete top-to-bottom effort in the second game of the DIRECTV Wooden Legacy, with the Broncos drubbing the San Jose State Spartans 79-60 at Titan Gym on Friday. With the win, the Broncos improve to 4-2 on the season.
The Broncos got back to their brand of basketball by physically controlling the tempo against the Spartans, holding them to a 41.8 field goal percentage and out-rebounding them 33-23. WMU jumped out to the lead with a 15-5 run to open the game and never relinquished it as it cruised past the Spartans for the win.
The Broncos got back to their brand of basketball by physically controlling the tempo against the Spartans, holding them to a 41.8 field goal percentage and out-rebounding them 33-23. WMU jumped out to the lead with a 15-5 run to open the game and never relinquished it as it cruised past the Spartans for the win.
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Tucker Haymond posted the game highs with 20 points and eight rebounds, going 7-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 on three-pointers. Connar Tava contributed 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Two other players – David Brown and Austin Richie – broke double-figures in scoring. The Broncos had a good night sharing the basketball, posting 17 assists compared to just 12 turnovers.
WMU got the only lead it would need for the rest of the game at the very beginning of the first half, when Richie picked off a pass from Jalen James and advanced the ball to Brown on the fast break. Brown knocked down the transition trey to make it 3-0 just 1:32 into the game, and the Broncos never gave that lead back to the Spartans.
Jaleel Williams pulled San Jose State to within three points with 5:53 to go in the half, but Haymond scored on a put-back on the next possession to spark a 13-2 run that re-established the Broncos’ dominance. Brown converted an “and-one” on a fast break lay-up at the 3:29 mark, drawing contact from Matt Pollard on the way to the hoop to earn the extra shot. Brown and Haymond added three-pointers down the stretch as WMU took a 36-21 advantage into the locker room.
The Broncos refused to let up in the second half, with Tava drilling a three-pointer from the head of the key on the first possession of the period to make it 39-21. Richie made a three-pointer on the next trip down the floor to bump the lead to 19 points, and AJ Avery knocked down an 18-foot jumper from the key with 13:42 to play to push the advantage to 49-28.
The lead remained in the 20-point neighborhood for the remainder of the game, hitting a high-point with 5:22 to play when Haymond hit a fade-away jumper in the paint to make it 67-42. Drake LaMont kept the lead at 25 points after a pair of free throw makes with 3:14 to play, and Von Washington drained a three-pointer in the final minute of play to close out the scoring for the Broncos.
(Courtesy of WMU Athletics/MRO Edit)
WMU got the only lead it would need for the rest of the game at the very beginning of the first half, when Richie picked off a pass from Jalen James and advanced the ball to Brown on the fast break. Brown knocked down the transition trey to make it 3-0 just 1:32 into the game, and the Broncos never gave that lead back to the Spartans.
Jaleel Williams pulled San Jose State to within three points with 5:53 to go in the half, but Haymond scored on a put-back on the next possession to spark a 13-2 run that re-established the Broncos’ dominance. Brown converted an “and-one” on a fast break lay-up at the 3:29 mark, drawing contact from Matt Pollard on the way to the hoop to earn the extra shot. Brown and Haymond added three-pointers down the stretch as WMU took a 36-21 advantage into the locker room.
The Broncos refused to let up in the second half, with Tava drilling a three-pointer from the head of the key on the first possession of the period to make it 39-21. Richie made a three-pointer on the next trip down the floor to bump the lead to 19 points, and AJ Avery knocked down an 18-foot jumper from the key with 13:42 to play to push the advantage to 49-28.
The lead remained in the 20-point neighborhood for the remainder of the game, hitting a high-point with 5:22 to play when Haymond hit a fade-away jumper in the paint to make it 67-42. Drake LaMont kept the lead at 25 points after a pair of free throw makes with 3:14 to play, and Von Washington drained a three-pointer in the final minute of play to close out the scoring for the Broncos.
(Courtesy of WMU Athletics/MRO Edit)
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