Men’s basketball hits the road for two games this weekend

By Mike Feld
Sports Editor

(Robert Youngs / Western Herald) Western Michigan’s Martelle McLemore pulls the trigger on three of his 15 points over IUPUI’s Leroy Nobles in the Broncos’ 76-68 loss on Saturday.

After dropping its second straight game at home on Nov. 29, the Western Michigan University men’s basketball team will return to the road for two games this weekend.

The Broncos (2-5) will travel to Richmond, Va. on Saturday for the first meeting ever with the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth University. The team will then head to Worcester, Mass. to face the College of the Holy Cross.

Western Michigan won its last road game, 65-62 over Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas on Nov. 25. Senior forward Derek Drews hit a three-pointer with eight seconds left to give WMU the advantage and ultimately the victory.

The Brown and Gold returned home on Nov. 29, however, and fell for the second straight game at University Arena. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis knocked off the Broncos, 76-68. WMU shot finished with a 40.7 percent percentage, compared to IUPUI’s 54.9 percent. Junior guard David Kool, senior guard Shawntes Gary and junior guard Martelle McLemore all contributed 15 points.

Despite the slow start, the Broncos have seen strong contributions from both its veterans and the new additions. Kool has struggled, shooting 37.1 percent from field goal range, but still leads the team with 18.1 points per game. Gary has shot 56.1 percent from the field and is averaging 13.1 points per game.

For the rookies, freshmen guards Demetrius Ward and Mike Douglas, as well as freshman forward Flenard Whitfield and center LaMarcus Lowe have all found themselves in the rotation and have contributed in all seven games this season.

This weekend, the Broncos will look to get back on track against two tough opponents. VCU (3-3) won the regular season Colonial Athletic Association Championship were selected as favorites to repeat in the preseason.

The Rams won each of its games over Virginia State University, The Citadel and South Dakota State University handily. In its three losses, VCU lost by six points or less, including a 93-90 overtime defeat from East Carolina University and a 71-66 loss to Southeastern Conference opponent Vanderbilt University.

VCU senior guard Eric Maynor, the defending CAA Player of the Year, leads the Rams with 24.5 points, 5.7 assists and four rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Joey Rodriguez is second on the team with 9.3 points per game, with freshman guard Bradford Burgess contributing 8.2 points per game.

Saturday’s meeting with Holy Cross will display two teams in similar situations so far this season. The Crusaders won its first two games of the season over Sacred Heart University and Saint Joseph’s University. However, they are currently on a six-game losing streak, including a 76-66 road loss to Yale University on Wednesday.

On offense, Holy Cross is led by freshman guard R.J. Evans, who is averaging 9.6 points per game. Evans is also second on the team with nine steals. The Crusaders have five other players averaging more than seven points a game, including senior center Greg McCarthy, who boasts a 52.3 field goal percentage this season.

Following the weekend, Western Michigan will hit to the road again and head West on Dec. 14 to face the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Broncos will return to University Arena on Dec. 18 to host the Gaels of Iona College.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Dec 4 2008. 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

Cody Kimball
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