Men’s basketball advances to second round of MAC Tournament

By Katrina Murphy
Sports Editor

The Western Michigan University men’s basketball held on to advance to the second round of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, OH.

In the first round of the 2010 FirstEnergy MAC Tournament on Sunday, the Broncos defeated No. 10 Bowling Green State University, 75-73, in front of 1,786 fans at University Arena.

“That was one of the most exciting games I’ve been a part of,” said senior Bronco guard David Kool.  “They put us down early and we came back.  We went home early last year and we didn’t want to.  We wanted to survive and move on and that’s what we did.”

The Falcons opened the game by hitting three shots from the field and two from the free throw line to open the game 8-0.  The first points for the Brown and Gold didn’t come until the 16:04 mark as Martelle McLemore knocked down a bucket from beyond the arc to cut the deficit to five.

McLemore’s second three-pointer kicked off a 10-4 for the Broncos to cut the lead to two, 12-10, with 13:28 left in the half.

Bowling Green continued to pick apart WMU’s defense to build a 21-12 lead after a 9-2 run capped by a fast break lay-up at the 11:06 mark.

“As soon as the match-ups came out and we had Bowling Green, my first thought was not a good one,” said Bronco head coach Steve Hawkins.  “They have size, their zone, it’s something that you have two days to prepare for.  Their system, the way we defend it, is difficult for us to guard.”

The Orange and Brown countered a three pointer by junior guard Alex Wolf with a 4-0 run to take a 10-point lead with 9:08 left in the first.

A bucket from the three-point range from McLemore and a pair of free throws from Wolf brought the Broncos to within four, 31-27, but the Falcons continued to connect on shots to increase the lead to seven with 4:16 left to play.

Despite another Western Michigan rally, the Broncos trailed at halftime, 39-38.

The second half opened with the Orange and Brown scoring five points, but then sophomore guard Mike Douglas scored off a drive and then hit Kool with a pass on an inbound play to give the Brown and Gold the lead, 42-41, with 17:16 left to play.

Bowling Green countered with a 5-0 run to once again regain the lead, 46-42.

Sophomore guard Demetrius Ward hit a pair of freebies after picking up an offensive rebound off a BG bucket.  Ward then connected on a three-pointer off the left wing to give Western Michigan the lead, 54-52, with 11:47 left to go.

After eight consecutive lead changes, the Broncos took the lead after a three-pointer from Kool at the 7:21 mark.  Sophomore forward Flenard Whitfield followed with a short tip-in to give WMU their largest lead of the night, 66-62.

Bowling Green closed the gap to within three with 13 seconds left, but a missed three-pointer prevented the Falcons from tying the game.  Douglas then hit two free throws to seal the win for the Brown and Gold.

“I knocked down the free throws to help the seniors out,” Douglas said.  “You don’t really think about it at the end, if you do then you add pressure.”

Kool finished the night with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Whitfield contributed a career-high 19 points, six rebounds and two steals.

McLemore added 12 points, two assists and two steals, while the duo of Douglas and Wolf combined for 15 points and nine assists.

Western Michigan (17-14) will advance to the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to face second-seeded Central Michigan University on Thursday, March 11, at noon.

“We know it’s going to be a tough game,” Kool said.  “We beat them here and they beat us there.  It’s just going to be who wants it more.  They play the game the right way and so do we.  We’re looking forward to it, and I can’t wait.”

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Posted by heraldstaff on Mar 10 2010. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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