KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Tucker Haymond scored 21 points to help Western Michigan hand Ball State an 80-55 loss Saturday at University Arenan. The lopsided victory pulled WMU even with the Cardinals and into a tie for first place in the Mid-American Conference West Division standings with two regular season games to go.
After dropping six of its . . .
After dropping six of its . . .
. . . first eight conference matchups - including five on the road - Western Michigan has bounced back to win seven of its last eight, including the last six in a row.
The Broncos' record sits at 13-15 and 9-7 in the MAC, which keeps WMU in the running for third place in the overall MAC standings. Western Michigan, which is 11-2 at home this season, would like to earn a No. 3 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
Ball State held a one-possession lead over the first seven minutes of the game until WMU took over with 12:09 remaining in the first half. Haymond converted a layup for two of his game-high 21 points to give the Broncos a 12-10 advantage and WMU never looked back.
Western Michigan built its lead up to 11 at halftime, 38-27, and outscored the Cardinals 42-28 in a dominating second half. The 25-point margin of victory was WMU's largest of the season.
"I really liked our temperament throughout the course of the game," Hawkins said. "It was even-keel. We weren't too emotional and there wasn't a big run in the game. We did string together some defensive stops in the second half and our guys just grinded, a bucket at a time, a possession at a time.
"Our defense was really good again against a really good offensive basketball team and then again the rebounding part of things was huge for us."
Western Michigan out-rebounded Ball State 40-25, including 9-3 on the offensive glass. WMU also shot a higher percentage from the field - 48.1 percent to BSU's 41.2 percent - and went 20-for-25 from the free-throw line while the Cardinals were 7-for-12.
Thomas Wilder had 16 points, four rebounds and six assists for the Broncos. Freshman Brandon Johnson recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Haymond also had five boards to go along with his 21 points.
Tayler Persons had a team-high 15 points for Ball State, followed by Franko House with 13. The two scored 24 and 18, respectively, the first time WMU and BSU met this season - an 84-78 Bronco loss in Muncie on Jan. 28.
NEXT:
Western Michigan is at Northern Illinois (Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET)
Ball State is at Toledo (Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET)
(Courtesy of WMU Athletics)
The Broncos' record sits at 13-15 and 9-7 in the MAC, which keeps WMU in the running for third place in the overall MAC standings. Western Michigan, which is 11-2 at home this season, would like to earn a No. 3 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
Ball State held a one-possession lead over the first seven minutes of the game until WMU took over with 12:09 remaining in the first half. Haymond converted a layup for two of his game-high 21 points to give the Broncos a 12-10 advantage and WMU never looked back.
Western Michigan built its lead up to 11 at halftime, 38-27, and outscored the Cardinals 42-28 in a dominating second half. The 25-point margin of victory was WMU's largest of the season.
"I really liked our temperament throughout the course of the game," Hawkins said. "It was even-keel. We weren't too emotional and there wasn't a big run in the game. We did string together some defensive stops in the second half and our guys just grinded, a bucket at a time, a possession at a time.
"Our defense was really good again against a really good offensive basketball team and then again the rebounding part of things was huge for us."
Western Michigan out-rebounded Ball State 40-25, including 9-3 on the offensive glass. WMU also shot a higher percentage from the field - 48.1 percent to BSU's 41.2 percent - and went 20-for-25 from the free-throw line while the Cardinals were 7-for-12.
Thomas Wilder had 16 points, four rebounds and six assists for the Broncos. Freshman Brandon Johnson recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Haymond also had five boards to go along with his 21 points.
Tayler Persons had a team-high 15 points for Ball State, followed by Franko House with 13. The two scored 24 and 18, respectively, the first time WMU and BSU met this season - an 84-78 Bronco loss in Muncie on Jan. 28.
NEXT:
Western Michigan is at Northern Illinois (Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET)
Ball State is at Toledo (Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET)
(Courtesy of WMU Athletics)
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