KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Western Michigan men’s basketball team led for the vast majority of the first half, but ultimately fell to preseason MAC favorite Buffalo 78-64 Tuesday evening at University Arena.
Markeese Hastings and B. Artis White netted 12 points apiece to lead the way for the Broncos (4-11, 0-4), while Mack Smith chipped in 10 points, four rebounds and a team-high four assists off of the bench. Owen Lobsinger secured a career-best six rebounds to pace WMU on the glass.
Western Michigan got off to a quick start, tallying five of the first six points of the evening. Holding an 11-10 edge, the Broncos then ripped off seven straight, capped by a Lobsinger triple, to extend the margin out to 18-10 at the 13:48 mark of the opening half.
Buffalo (8-6, 2-2) drew within five, 21-16, but WMU countered with a 6-1 spurt to push its advantage to double-digits, 27-17, with 7:46 left until halftime. A 13-2 response by the Bulls gave the visitors their only lead of the first half, 30-29, with 2:30 on the clock. The next five points went to the Broncos, who took a 34-33 edge into the locker room.
The two teams traded the lead back-and-forth five times in the early stages of the second half, but the Bulls used a 7-0 run to move in front, 50-44, with 13:45 remaining. A Hastings layup and White three-pointer got Western Michigan back within a point, 50-49, but another 7-0 surge stretched UB’s advantage to 57-49, just past the halfway mark of the period.
A Lobsinger dunk brought the Broncos to within six, 57-51, before Buffalo countered with another 7-0 run to push the margin into double-digits, 64-51, with just under seven minutes to play. The Bulls maintained a double-digit edge for the remainder of the evening.
For the night, the Broncos made 26-of-51 (51.0 percent) from the field, while Buffalo connected on 28-of-60 (46.7 percent) from the floor.
WMU concludes its four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon as it welcomes Miami to University Arena for a 2:00 p.m. tip. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and the Bronco Media Network.
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