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Western Michigan overwhelms struggling Rockets |
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Written by Paul Bowker
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- If Saturday‘s Western Michigan vs. Toledo battle was a heavyweight prize fight, it would have been stopped before the end of the first round.
That‘s how quick this Mid-American Conference knockout was for the Broncos, who won their sixth consecutive home game at University Arena with a 73-41 bashing of the Rockets.
A 20-4 run by the Broncos (11-7, 3-2 MAC West), during which freshman forward Nate Hutcheson scored five of his career-high 15 points, sent WMU ahead, 20-6, before the game was 10 minutes old. Senior guard David Kool scored two baskets. Toledo guard Jake Barnett, the MAC‘s sixth-leading scorer, missed four shots and committed a turnover.
Game over.
Sophomore forward Flenard Whitfield added 11 points off the bench for WMU. Freshman Shayne Whittington and Brandon Pokley also had career highs, with 7 and 6 points, respectively. Kool, normally the team’s scoring machine, scored just 10.
“My coaches and teammates have been talking to me about confidence,“ Whittington said. “It’s all in my head. With the help of my guys and teammates, they’ve helped me out more than I can appreciate, so I owe that to them.“
Justin Anijong scored 11 points and had six rebounds, both team highs, for Toledo.
Alex Wolf had a career-high seven assists for WMU.
The Broncos went on to lead the Rockets by 34 points, thrilling a home crowd of 3,521 and not looking at all like the team which has lost its last two MAC road games at Ball State and Northern Illinois, slipping into a tie for third place in the MAC West.
But it wasn‘t an explosive offense which blew this game open. The Broncos held Toledo to just 15 points in the first half and a season-low 41 over the entire game. Barnett scored his only basket with less than eight minutes remaining in the game; he missed 9-of-10 shots and had a game-high four turnovers. The Rockets (3-16, 0-5) were held to 34 percent shooting.
WMU’s defense led to 22 fast-break points -- 20 more than Toledo.
Among those emerging from the game as a Bronco believer was Toledo head coach Gene Cross.
“I think they’re even tougher than last year,“ Cross said. “They are a tough, tough outfit. I think them and Central (Michigan) are probably the toughest defensive team on our side.“
The Broncos had yielded 75 points in a one-sided loss at Ball State on Wednesday, beginning a bad week which left head coach Steve Hawkins worried entering Saturday‘s game.
“I was concerned going in because we did not have great practice the last couple days. We also got back from Ball State late (Thursday morning), and I thought we still had sort of an emotional hangover,” Hawkins said. “We talked about a few things and made sure we got their heads on straight. We played psychiatrist more so than coach.”
The doctor was in, and it worked. In the first half alone, the Broncos forced Toledo into 10 turnovers and outrebounded the Rockets, 24-16. For the second consecutive game, WMU‘s bench shined, outscoring Toledo‘s bench 33-20, including 17-4 in the first half. .
The Broncos will go after their seventh consecutive home win Wednesday night, when they play host to defending MAC champion Akron, beginning a six-game stretch against MAC East teams.
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