 WESTERN MICHIGAN 80, HOPE 58 In the process, the Broncos' Flenard Whitfield made a part of WMU history when he became the 35th member of the 1,000-point Club at Western Michigan. Whitfield officially hit the mark with 3:11 remaining in the first half, draining a pair of free throws to give the Broncos a 37-19 lead. Whitfield finished the game with 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting; he added a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Sophomore Matt Stainbrook finished one point shy of his third 20-point game of the season, notching 19 points and eight rebounds. Austin Richie recorded his first career double-digit scoring game in his first career start, adding 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
The Broncos began the game on a 12-4 run, with Stainbrook bullying the Flying Dutchmen down low with 10 of the first 12 Bronco points.
WMU held the Dutchmen to just two field goals over the course of the first 5:35, and induced another five-minute drought moments later as part of a 15-3 run for the Broncos.
The Broncos built on their lead when Whitfield threw down a two-handed dunk to give his team a 25-9 lead, and Richie expanded the lead to 17 points with a three-pointer at the 8:43 mark.
The Broncos established their biggest lead of the night at the 7:45 mark when Whitfield struck again, this time with a two-handed reverse dunk to make it 32-11. Shayne Whittington scored as time expired in the half, laying one off the glass to give WMU a 41-25 lead.
The Broncos kept the heat on in the second half, never allowing the Flying Dutchmen to get within 10 points at any time in the final stanza. Hope's Nate VanArendonk got it as close as it would be for the rest of the game when he hit a jumper in the paint at the 18:47 mark, cutting the Broncos' lead to 43-31.
Stainbrook responded with buckets on consecutive possessions, including a three-pointer from the top of the key, to spark a 15-6 run for WMU. Richie collected an offensive rebound and put it in at 16:38, his tenth point of the night,. Demetrius Ward then pushed the lead to 21 points with a pair of free throws at the 15:25 mark to make it 56-35.
The Broncos' fashioned their biggest lead of the night with a Ward jumper at the 13:04 mark, making it 58-36. Senior center Caleb Dean maintained that lead and set the final score with a lay-up with 2:01 remaining, giving WMU an 80-58 lead which stood as the final difference.
Courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics
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