Broncos wrap up East Division play at Ohio

Courtesy Matt Holmes, WMU Media Relations

The Western Michigan men’s basketball team (13-10, 5-5 MAC) wraps up Mid-American Conference cross-divisional play in Athens, Ohio, against Ohio (12-11, 3-6 MAC) on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center.

 

The Broncos defeated Bowling Green, 65-64, on David Kool’s shot with 4.2 seconds remaining on Saturday, while the Bobcats fell at Eastern Michigan, 70-61.

 

The game will be available on the Bronco Radio Network Stations • WZUU — 92.5 FM: (Flagship) Kalamazoo, Portage, Mattawan; WMAX — 96.1 FM: Grand Rapids, Holland, South Haven, Muskegon; WBCH — 100.1 FM/1220 AM: Hastings; WTVB — 1590 AM: Coldwater

Complete WMU game notes attached.

 

QUICK HITTERS
• In his last five games (all vs. the MAC East), MAC Player of the Year candidate David Kool is averaging 26.6 points per game by shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 46.4 percent behind the arc and made 32-of-36 free throws. Kool has become the career leader in points at Western Michigan with 1,893 points (surpassing Manny Newsome’s record of 1,787 set in 1964), which is 15th in Mid-American Conference history.
• Kool is one of only eight players in the country to score 30 or more points in at least five games.
• Kool has made two game-winning baskets this season in the waning moments. He hit a floater in the lane with four seconds remaining to defeat Sam Houston State, 74-73. He stole the ball and hit a bank shot with four seconds remaining to defeat Bowling Green, 65-64. He also hit the go-ahead basket with seven seconds left with a 19-foot fadeaway jumper at Kent State.
• Kool has been racking up awards this season as a three-time MAC West Player of the Week and four-time MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week.
• Kool hit the game-winning basket with 4.2 seconds remaining to defeat Bowling Green, 65-64. Kool finished with 23 points, including WMU’s last seven, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Flenard Whitfield added 10 points and Demetrius Ward had eight rebounds.
• WMU trails Ohio, 58-61, in the all-time series after splitting a pair of games last season. The Broncos won in Kalamazoo, 76-62, but the Bobcats won in the MAC Tournament, 62-55. The Broncos are 18-42 all-time in Athens and have lost six in a row since winning, 78-74, in overtime on Jan. 22, 2000. Head coach Steve Hawkins is 3-5 against Ohio.
• The Broncos hold the lead in the race for the 2010 MAC Men’s Basketball Championship by defeating Eastern Michigan on Jan. 9 and Central Michigan on Jan. 16. Since the award’s inception in 2006, the Broncos have won the award every year, including outright championships in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
• Donald Lawson has blocked a MAC-high 19 shots in conference play to move into fourth all-time in career blocks at WMU with 91. Overall, he ranks third in the MAC in rebounding (7.3 rpg), second in blocks (1.48 bpg) and ninth in field goal percentage (.493).
• The Broncos are 11-3 this season when they out-rebound the opposition. The Broncos are first in rebound margin (+4.1) and second in defensive rebounds per game (25.13), rebounds per game (38.5) and offensive rebounds per game (13.35) in the MAC. 
• The Broncos have held nine teams under 40 percent shooting this season and three teams under 30 percent. WMU ranks second in the MAC allowing opponents to shoot .403 from the field.

Delmas selected to NFL All-Rookie Team

Courtesy of Mat Kanan, WMU Sports Information

DETROIT – The Detroit Lions’ rookie safety Louis Delmas, became the second former Bronco to earn a spot on the National Football League’s All-Rookie Team, which was announced on Tuesday.

The second round draft choice out of Western Michigan joined Buffalo’s Jarius Byrd as the two safeties selected to the NFL All-Rookie Team.  Delmas was joined by fellow Detroit Lion Brandon Pettigrew (TE) on the squad as well.

Delmas was an impact rookie through the 2009 season, making 15 starts at free safety.  He ranked second on the team with 94 total tackles and assisted on a team high 27 stops.  He also made history by becoming the first rookie (and second defensive player ever) to record an interception for a TD, a fumble recovery for a TD and a safety.

He was named NFL Rookie of the Month in September and was nominated for the same award in November.  His 94 tackles were best among rookie defensive backs and ranked third among all rookies according to NFL.com rankings.  His two interception on the year also tied for the Lions team lead.

Delmas joins Greg Jennings as the only two former Western Michigan Broncos to earn a spot on the NFL All-Rookie Team.  Jennings received the honor in 2006.

Louis Delmas’ Detroit Lions Bio

Broncos drop MAC West roadie

Courtesy Matt Holmes, WMU Sports Information

MUNCIE, Ind. — David Kool scored 22 points and Alex Wolf added a career-high 18, but Western Michigan couldn’t overcome a big first half deficit in losing at Ball State, 75-68, on Wednesday night.

Kool moved into second all-time in career points at Western Michigan (10-7, 2-2 MAC) with 1,750, which is 38 points shy of tying Manny Newsome’s school record.

The Broncos could never get on track offensively in the first half against a staunch Ball State (8-8, 2-2 MAC) defense as the Cardinals jumped out to a 17-4 lead. Kool came back with back-to-back scores in the paint to cut the lead to nine, 17-8, with 8:42 to play. Baskets were still too few for WMU and Ball State went on an 19-7 run to go up by 21, 36-15, on Pierre Sneed’s three-point play with six seconds left in the half. Alex Wolf hit three free throws with six-tenths of a second remaining to cut the deficit to 18, 36-18, at halftime.

The Broncos shot 26 percent and made only six field goals and no three-pointers in the opening half, while the Cardinals made 61.5 percent (16-26) of their shots, including nine buckets in the paint.

Early in the second half, the Broncos went on an 8-0 run behind back-to-back McLemore triples to pull within 12, 38-26, less than three minutes into the half. Ball State responded with six in a row of its own to go back up by 18, 44-26, after a putback by Malik Perry with 15:30 remaining.

The Broncos cut the lead to 12, 48-36, with 10:01 to go when Kool found Wolf in the left corner for a three-pointer and again with 9:15 to go when Kool hit two free throws, 50-38. The Broncos kept pushing and Wolf canned another three from the right wing to pull WMU within 10, 53-43, with 7:12 to play. BSU came back and hit back-to-back jumpers to go up 14, 57-43, with 5:22 to go.

The Broncos kept hanging around and finally got the lead to single digits, 59-50, as Kool hit a three-pointer on the left wing to tie Booker James for second place in career scoring at Western Michigan with 4:11 on the clock. Ball State scored four in a row, but then Kool stole and inbounds pass and went in for a lay-up. Ball State turned the ball over again on the inbounds and Kool hit a step-back jumper to cut the lead to nine, 63-54, with 2:37 to go.

The Broncos kept hitting three-pointers down the stretch as Wolf hit his fourth of the game to cut the deficit to six, 70-64, with 52 seconds to go and then it was five, 71-66, after Lawson’s lay-up with 13 seconds to go. Ball State countered with 16-of-18 free throws in the final five minutes ot the game to hang on.

The Broncos return to University Arena to host Toledo (3-15, 0-4 MAC) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Broncos head into 2010 on winning streak

By Alan Gerould, SW Michigan Sports Review

Western Michigan University returns its mens basketball team to Kalamazoo today after a successful holiday trip to Hawaii.

The Broncos beat The College of Charleston 66-63 on Christmas Day to win its second consecutive game (for the first time this season) and improve its overall record to 6-5. The Broncos took fifth place in the tournament after defeating Northeastern 75-60 and losing in the opener to USC 55-51.

WMU has been in every game it has played in thus far this season with the exception of a blow-out loss to Illinois a few weeks back. The Broncos play Sam Houston State on Saturday before kicking off its MAC schedule the following week.

There is good reason for optimism among the Bronco faithful. The Broncos have remained relatively healthy thus far with no major injuries. The Broncos have defeated some quality opponents, at least three of the Bronco wins have come over teams that were picked to win their conferences and two of its losses (Temple, USC) have come against teams with wins over nationally ranked opponents.

The Broncos are getting solid leadership from its seniors. Everybody and their brother expected David Kool to have a great year, but I doubt few expected as much from Donald Lawson and Martell McLemore as they have delivered.

The underclassmen are starting to show some experience. Mikey Douglass, Flenard Whitfield, Alex Wolf and Demetrius Ward are all making important contributions at important times.

The freshman are getting their sea legs and will contribute throughout the rest of the season. Nate Hutcheson, David Brown and Shane Whittington have all demonstrated their ability to play at this level this year.

The Broncos have shown a willingness to play Coach Steve Hawkins rugged style of basketball and should be able to hold its own against MAC teams of similiar heighths. It was refreshing to see the Broncos start to shoot a higher percentage, particularly from three-point range in its last few games.

Bottom line is that this should be a fun year to follow the Broncos. I don’t expect them to get blown out by anybody the rest of the way…just as I don’t expect any gimme “W’s”. I do expect WMU to win the MAC West and make it the final four of the MAC tournament with a post season birth in the NIT.

Broncos return from Hawaii on winning note

HONOLULU — Martelle McLemore hit five three-pointers for 15 points and David Kool added 16 points to lead Western Michigan past College of Charleston, 66-63, to claim fifth place in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The Broncos (6-5) won two games in a row for the first time this season with the victory. Donald Lawson notched his second double-double of the tournament with 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Cougars (6-6). Charleston, preseason favorites in the Southern Conference, join Holy Cross (Patriot League) and Northeastern (Colonial Athletic Association) as conference favorites that WMU has defeated this season. Kool hit a three-pointer on the right wing on the fast break to put WMU in front for good, 61-58, with 3:24 to play. The Cougars closed within one, 61-60, but then McLemore buried his fifth three-pointer on the next possession, 64-60. Charleston came back with another triple, but the Broncos didn’t allow another point in the final 2:19. Kool rebounded his own miss and hit a floater in the lane to open the scoring, but then College of Charleston went on an 18-5 run to take an 11-point lead, 18-7, with 11:30 to go on a three-pointer by Andrew Goudelock. The Broncos responded with four points by Kool and Alex Wolf and a lay-up by Donald Lawson to pull within one, 18-17, with 8:07 to go after a 10-0 run. The Cougars scored the next four, but then Nate Hutcheson and Martelle McLemore hit three-pointers to even the game, 23-23, with 4:43 to go in the half. College of Charleston came right back with four more in a row, but then McLemore and Demetrius Ward converted on back-to-back triples to give WMU the lead, 29-27, for the first time since 2-0 with 1:15 to go. Both teams had empty possessions until Goudelock found Rashad Wright for a dunk with five seconds to go to tie the score, 29-29, at halftime. The Broncos hit just 32.3 percent of their shots, but did make 5-of-12 three-pointers, including four of their last six attempts. The Broncos held CofC to 35.5 percent shooting and 3-of-13 from three-point land. The Broncos out-rebounded the Cougars, 23-16, in the opening half, including 11-4 on the offensive glass, but Charleston held an 8-5 lead in first half second-chance points. The teams traded baskets in the first seven minutes of the second half as Charleston led, 40-39. The Broncos ended the trade with a 12-2 run over 4:05 to take a nine-point lead, 51-42, on a McLemore three-pointer with 8:56 to go. The Cougars weren’t going away and ent on an 11-2 run to tie the game, 53-53, with 5:11 still left on the clock. McLemore followed with a three, but then Charleston scored five straight to take the lead, 58-56, with 3:58 to go. On the very next possession, Lawson rebounded Kool’s miss to tie the game, leading to Ward’s assist to Kool on the game-winning three-pointer. The Broncos shot 38.7 percent from the field, but did hit 10-of-24 three-pointers. College of Charleston shot 41.7 percent and made 7-of-24 three-pointers (.292). The Broncos out-rebounded Charleston, 43-26, and had a 13-10 advantage in second-chance points. The Broncos are off until 2010 when they host Sam Houston State, preseason favorite in the Southland Conference, at University Arena on Jan. 3 at 2 p.m.

Broncos even record en route to Hawaii

KALAMAZOO – Western Michigan overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to storm back for a 72-64 win over a very tough Kennesaw State basketball team on Saturday at University Arena.  Four Broncos finished in double figures with Flenard Whitfield registering the second double-double of his career.

After leading by a bucket at the break, WMU found itself trailing, 45-35, just 3:51 into the second half thanks to a 12-0 run by the Owls.  Kennesaw State used back-to-back layups, a pair of treys and a jumper to build its 10-point lead before the whistle blew for the first media timeout.

Western Michigan hit its first field goal of the half on a David Kool jumper at the 14:35 mark to cut the deficit to seven at 47-40.  The senior led the Broncos with 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including two three pointers.  Markeith Cummings and Kurtis Woods led the game with 23 points apiece.

Trailing 57-49 at the 8:55 mark, Whitfield drained a pair of free throws followed by a Donald Lawson dunk to bring WMU to within four points, 57-53.  Flenard finished with 12 points and 11 boards for his first double-double since Nov. 16, 2008 against SIU-Edwardsville (13 points, 12 rebounds).  After a Cummings jumper, Western Michigan scored the game’s next eight points to cap a 25-12 run to take its first lead since the 0:23 mark of the first half, 61-59.

The lead changed four times over a two minute, 24 second span but the Owls would manage just two field goals during the final 6:58 of the game as WMU pulled away on the strength of four Martelle McLemore, who also finished with 12 points, free throws and nine points from Kool down the stretch.  WMU went 17-for-19 from the charity stripe during the final 20 minutes.

The Broncos were statistically dominant during the first half, out-rebounding the Owls, 30-15, and outscoring Kennesaw State 26-14 in the paint, 11-5 on second chance points and 12-5 off the bench.  Nate Hutcheson matched his career high with nine points on 4-of-8 shooting, adding four rebounds during the opening frame.  He would rewrite his career best in the second half, finishing the game with 13 points and four boards.

The game was nip and tuck during the first 4:11 of Saturday’s contest with WMU taking an 11-8 lead on Kool’s jumper.  That sparked the home team to a 9-4 run to build a 20-12 cushion for the Broncos.  Hutcheson dropped in a lay up and Demetrius Ward followed with his lone make of the half, a three-pointer at the 13:39 mark.  Mike Douglas cashed in a fast break lay up and after Kurtis Woods threw down a dunk for the Owls, Hutcheson answered with one of his own 11 seconds later.

The Owls used an 11-2 run to cut WMU’s lead down to one possession when Matt Heramb was fouled on a dunk and converted the three-point play with 2:46 left before the break.  Western Michigan answered with five straight points, capped by a Flenard Whitfield layup off a missed free throw by Hutcheson.

The Broncos built their lead back to seven on Whitfield’s fast break dunk but the Owls scored the final six points, four points off a pair of Cummings layups to lead all scorers with 12 points at the break.  The mini run left WMU with a slim two-point lead, 35-33, at halftime.

Western Michigan opens the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic against Southern Cal at 5 p.m. on Dec. 22 on ESPNU.

Broncos spanked by Fighting Illini

Courtesy Matt Holmes, WMU Media Relations

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Flenard Whitfield finished with a career-high 17 points, but the Western Michigan men’s basketball team fell at Illinois, 88-53, in front of 14,886 at Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon.

David Kool added 13 points and six rebounds to move into sixth in career scoring at WMU with 1,560 points, while Donald Lawson contributed nine points and nine rebounds for the Broncos (3-4) against the Illini (8-2).

The Broncos scored the first points of the game as Martelle McLemore found Lawson for a lay-up on the Broncos’ first possession. The Illini came back to hit four free throws in a row to take the lead, but Western Michigan stayed close, 6-5, after a fadeaway jumper by Nate Hutcheson with 14:13 to play. The Fighting Illini missed their first nine shots against a stiff WMU defense, but heated up for the remainder of the half.

Illinois hit 18 of their final 25 shots, including six three-pointers to pull away from the Broncos and go up by 23 at intermission, 48-25. The Broncos got inspired play late from Whitfield with eight of his 11 points in the final 3:32 of the first half.

The Broncos started the second half inspired and scored eight of the first nine points to close within 18, 50-32, after Lawson’s jumper on an inbounds play with 17:56 to play. Kool had four points in the run with a steal and lay-up and a putback of his own miss for his first two field goals.

Illinois came back and scored eight of the next 11 to go back up by 23, 58-35, with 14:45 remaining. The Illini continued to add to their lead and went up by as many as 38 with 4:54 remaining in the contest.

The Broncos shot 24.2 percent (16-66) overall and hit 3-of-29 three-pointers, while Illinois shot 48.6 percent (34-70) and hit 6-of-16 three-pointers.

The Broncos are off for final exams this week and resume action at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 against Kennesaw State at University Arena in the second game of a doubleheader.

Broncos get first road win at EIU

Courtesy Matt Holmes, WMU Media Relations

CHARLESTON, Ill. — David Kool hit a career-high eight three-pointers on his way to a Mid-American Conference season-high 34 points to lead Western Michigan past Eastern Illinois, 69-58, in front of 1,033 at Lantz Arena on Wednesday night. The Broncos (3-3) also got 14 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals from Flenard Whitfield, while Martelle McLemore added 12 points and seven rebounds. Donald Lawson had 10 rebounds, career-high four assists, four points and three steals. Mike Douglas added six assists, while Demetrius Ward came off the bench and had two points, three assists and four rebounds all in the final eight minutes of the contest against the Panthers (4-4). After leading by 11 early in the second half, WMU saw itself tied, 56-56, with Eastern Illinois after a pair of free throws with 4:39 to play. The Broncos came right back with two three-pointers by Kool and McLemore, both of which were assisted by Demetrius Ward, to go up six, 62-56, with 3:28 to play. EIU hit two free throws, but Kool knocked down his eighth three in the right corner on a feed from Lawson with 2:45 to play to put WMU up seven, 65-58. The Broncos’ defense stiffened and held EIU without a point in the final three minutes to get the victory. The Panthers led early, but a 7-0 run by the Broncos put them on top, 10-6, with 14:57 to play after a pair of jumpers by Kool. Two more threes by Kool put the Broncos up six, 16-10, with 13:13 to play in the first half. The Broncos continued to hit shots to keep EIU at a six-point distance, but the Panthers hit two in a row to cut the lead to two, 22-20, with 6:55 remaining. Lawson corralled an offensive rebound on the next possession and fed it to Kool for his fifth three-pointer of the half to put WMU back up five. Lawson also set a new career high with his third assist of the game on the play. The Broncos remained up five, 27-22, with 5:29 to go after Nate Hutcheson converted at the rim on the fast break. Eastern Illinois scored the next basket, but then the Broncos scored six in a row. Lawson hit a free throw line jumper on an inbounds feed from Alex Wolf, Whitfield hit a hook shot in the post and then the run was capped by Kool’s lob to McLemore on the fast break to give WMU its largest lead, 33-24, with 2:40 to go. EIU locked down on defense and scored the next four points to cut WMU’s lead to five, 33-28, at halftime. The Broncos opened the second half on a 6-0 run, capped by McLemore’s steal, lay-up and free throw after the foul, to go up by 11, 39-28, less than 90 seconds into the half. The Panthers chipped away at the lead and pulled within four, 46-42, with 12:38 to play, but WMU came right back with five in a row on two Whitfield freebies and McLemore’s first triple of the game, 51-42, with 12:02 remaining. The Broncos let up and the Panthers took advantage and hit two open shots to stay within four, 51-47, with 11:14 still to play in the contest. The Panthers kept the run going and scored four of the next six points to close within two, 53-51, with 9:26 to go in the contest. The Broncos shot 37.7 percent, but tracked down many of those misses for a 43-31 rebounding advantage and 19-6 edge in second-chance points. WMU was also able to get out and run and outscored EIU, 17-6. Tyler Laser led Eastern Illinois with 17 points and Ousmane Cisse had 10 rebounds. The Broncos head to Illinois of the Big Ten on Sunday.

Broncos even record, defeat Holy Cross

Courtesy Matt Holmes, WMU Media Relations

KALAMAZOO – Donald Lawson scored a career-high 15 points with eight rebounds and career-high three steals, while Mike Douglas had career highs of six points and six assists to lead Western Michigan basketball past Holy Cross, 64-54, in front of 2,671 at University Arena on Saturday.

The Broncos (2-2) also got 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal from Martelle McLemore and 10 points and four rebounds from Flenard Whitfield. The Mid-American Conference’s leading scorer, David Kool, was held to seven points, four rebounds and four steals against the Patriot League favorite Crusaders (0-6).

Douglas found Nate Hutcheson for an alley-oop dunk and Lawson for a one-handed flush on back-to-back fast breaks early in the second half to put WMU up eight, 39-31, with 15:40 to play after leading by two at halftime. After an alley-oop feed from Douglas to Whitfield with 13:48 to play WMU was up 41-34 with 13:48 to play, but the Broncos went cold.

The Crusaders scored the next five points to pull within two, 41-39, with 11:56 to play. The Broncos responded as McLemore found a loose ball rebound and laid it in, followed by Douglas’ second three-pointer of the game. The Broncos increased the lead to a game-high nine points, 48-39, with 9:28 to go after McLemore found Lawson inside for a lay-up.

The teams traded baskets and WMU was still up eight, 56-48, with 3:40 to play after Douglas found Kool streaking down the court for a fast break lay-up. The Broncos went cold and Holy Cross pulled within four, 56-52, with 2:28 to play after four consecutive free throws. Whitfield put WMU back up six, 58-52, with 1:23 remaining after corralling Kool’s missed shot and laying it in.

Holy Cross came right back and scored after R.J. Evans hit an acrobatic lay-up off an offensive rebound to keep the game at four with 1:02 to play. The Broncos ran the clock down on the next possession until Kool found Whitfield underneath. He was fouled and converted both freebies to put WMU up six, 60-54, and then junior Alex Wolf tracked down Holy Cross’ wildly errant three-point attempt and knocked down both free throws to put WMU up eight, 62-54, and seal the victory.

At the beginning of the game, the Crusaders jumped out to a five-point lead, 8-3, but the Broncos came back to tie the score on a putback lay-up by Lawson and three-pointer by Kool with 14:32 to go in the half. Holy Cross came right back with five points in a row after a pair of offensive rebounds, but WMU came back to even the score again, 15-15, with 9:59 to go in the half after a post move and finish by Lawson.

Holy Cross continued to exploit the Broncos inside and scored a pair of lay-ups to go back up four, 19-15, but freshman David Brown and McLemore drove for lay-ups to tie the score and then Brown hit his first collegiate three-pointer to put WMU in front, 22-21, with 6:57 to go in the half. Sophomore Demetrius Ward added to the lead on the next possession with a floater over the helping big man give WMU its largest lead, 24-21, with 6:11 to play.

Holy Cross scored a basket to cut the lead to one, but then the Broncos answered with six in a row. Whitfield scored the last four with a pair of free throws after an offensive rebound and then a drop step into a lay-up, 30-23, with 2:20 to go in the half. The Crusaders wouldn’t let the game get away and scored the last six of the half to be down two, 30-28, at halftime.

The Broncos shot 40.3 percent (25-62), but held Holy Cross to .380 shooting (19-50) and forced 19 turnovers that led to a 23-5 advantage in points off turnovers for the Brown & Gold. In fact, Holy Cross did not make a three-pointer in seven attempts, while WMU hit five triples.

The Broncos are back at University Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against back-to-back Atlantic 10 Tournament champion Temple (4-1). The Owls play St. John’s tonight before coming to Kalamazoo.

Broncos begin new home winning streak

Courtesy Matt Holmes, WMU Media Relations

KALAMAZOO — Senior Martelle McLemore posted career highs of 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists to lead Western Michigan men’s basketball past VCU, 83-67, in front of 2,654 at University Arena Wednesday night.

The Broncos (1-1) also received career-high-tying 13 points and 11 rebounds from senior center Donald Lawson for his first career double-double. He also blocked three shots. Senior David Kool hit 11-of-12 free throws to add 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals, while freshman Nate Hutcheson tied his career high with nine points and pulled down a career-high six rebounds.

The Rams, ranked No. 8 in this week’s Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, led by as many as 17 points, 28-11, with 9:40 left in the first half after an offensive rebound and putback, but the Broncos slowly started the climb back with an immediate 10-0 run over 2:54 to pull within seven, 28-21, with 6:16 to go in the half after a pair of fast-break layups by McLemore and a three-pointer by Hutcheson.

VCU, the defending champions of the Colonial Athletic Association, recovered and went back up 13, 40-27, after a three-pointer with 1:50 to go in the half. The Broncos came back with six quick points, capped by a fast-break layup from freshman David Brown, to pull within seven, 40-33, with 46 seconds left in the half and McLemore’s jumper in the paint with 19 seconds to go kept WMU within seven, 42-35, at halftime.

The Broncos shot 10-of-30 in the first half, but hung around with 14-of-20 free throw shooting. The Rams had nine offensive rebounds to outscore WMU, 16-8, in second chance points and forced nine WMU turnovers.

VCU was still up seven, 48-41, with 17:40 to play when the Broncos took over for good. A layup by Flenard Whitfield started a 17-2 run over the next 6:32 to put the Broncos up by eight, 58-50, with 10:08 to play. McLemore had seven points during the run and sophomore Mike Douglas had four points and assisted on a Lawson fast-break dunk.

VCU hung around and cut the lead to five, 63-58, with 6:31 remaining after a dunk by T.J. Gwynn, but McLemore rebounded his own missed three and found Whitfield for a lay-up to start a 10-0 run by the Brown & Gold. Whitfield started the run and ended the game with a fast-break lay-up off a feed from sophomore Demetrius Ward, 73-58, with 2:12 to play.

The Broncos shot 17-of-28 in the second half, including 16-of-20 inside the arc with 15 of those baskets coming inside the paint. The Broncos also out-rebounded VCU, 29-12, in the second half and outscored the fast-paced Rams, 15-2, in second-chance points.

Overall, the Broncos shot 46.6 percent (27-58) and held VCU to .307 shooting (23-75). The Broncos also hit 27-of-35 free throws, compared to 15-of-19 freebies for VCU.

VCU was led by Bradford Burgess with 16 points, while Collegeinsider.com Preseason Mid-Major All-American Larry Sanders had seven points and seven rebounds.

WMU goes back on the road on Monday, Nov. 23 to play at Loyola (Ill.) (1-1) at 8 p.m. in Chicago.