 WESTERN MICHIGAN 77, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 68
Leading just 67-64 with two minutes remaining, Demetrius Ward made a pair of free throws to extend the Broncos' lead to four points. He then drained a 10-footer on WMU's next trip down the court to give the Broncos a 71-64 lead with 1:25 remaining.
Nate Hutcheson continued to stretch the lead, robbing NIU's Abdel Nader of the ball on the ensuing Huskies possession and drawing a foul. He ultimately made a pair of free throws at the 1:13 mark. It was one third of the Broncos 6-of-6 performance from the free throw line down the stretch to down the Huskies at home.
The Broncos opened the second half on a 12-4 run, with Matt Stainbrook single-handedly outscoring the Huskies with seven points in that span. Stainbrook scored just four points in the first half, but he posted 12 in the second half to take control of the offense. He gave the Broncos their first double-digit lead of the game with a tip-in at the 15:48 mark, making it 44-34.
The Huskies worked their way closer, but Austin Richie hit a three-pointer with 10:33 remaining to make it 52-44, and Stainbrook finished a three-point play at the 9:51 mark to give the Broncos an 11-point lead.
NIU continued to climb back, though, and eventually pulled to within 55-53 with 7:03 remaining. However, the Broncos' offense began to click again, sparked to a 7-1 run when Hoerdemann hit a pair of free throws at the 6:52 mark. On the next WMU possession, Nate Hutcheson scored on a one-handed dunk, and Hoerdemann drained his fourth trey of the night just 37 seconds later to give the Broncos a 62-54 lead.
The two teams battled hard in the first half, with neither leading the other by more than five points at any time in the half. Nate Hutcheson opened the half with a trio of free throws at the 18:49 mark, but the Broncos went without a field goal until Hutcheson threw down a two-handed dunk at the 15:21 mark.
The Huskies maintained the lead, though, until Hoerdemann hit a three from the left corner at the 13:34 mark to give the Broncos a 10-8 lead. After NIU's Tim Toler responded with a three of his own, Hoerdemann struck again, giving WMU a 13-11 lead. Hoerdemann would add one more for good measure at the 5:07 mark, with the Broncos' 26-21 lead their largest of the half. Hoerdemann finished the first half with 11 points, already just one shy of his season and career high.
Courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics
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