(Thomas Doherty/Western Herald) Western Michigan University senior guard David Kool during Saturdays game against Kalamzoo College.
The Western Michigan men’s basketball team is only one exhibition game into the 2009-2010 season, but they already have experience handling a sticky situation.
The Broncos overcame several comeback attempts to knock off Kalamazoo College 78-52 Saturday afternoon at University Arena.
“I thought we got really what we needed to get out of the day – which was getting our guys out there and getting them used to playing in front of a crowd and in front of each other,” head coach Steve Hawkins said. “There’s going to be plenty for me to complain about Monday morning, but there are plenty of good things for us to look at as well.”
Martelle McLemore finished with a team-high 18 points, topping his regular season-high of 15 points. McLemore added six rebounds, three assists and three steals on the afternoon. McLemore went 3-for-5 from long range and had a consistent jump shot going throughout the game.
“We have a lot of offensive weapons, but it just kind of came with the flow of the game. My teammates found me for open shots,” McLemore said.
Flenard Whitfield ended up with 15 points and seven rebounds, maintaining a strong post presence throughout the game. Whitfield provided the Broncos with high-percentage layups and second-chance buckets. The Broncos had to survive a numerous speed bumps en route to its win, including issues at the free throw line and a hot hand on the opposing team.
Ryan Clark posed the largest offensive threat of the night for the Hornets, draining five of his seven three-point attempts in the first half. WMU’s guards clamped down on Clark in the second half, making sure his attempts from beyond the arc were reduced or eliminated.
“I thought Kalamazoo College did a great job of hanging around,” Hawkins said. “We knew Clark could shoot the ball, the kid is a Division I shooter. (After halftime) our veterans slanted their defense toward Clark. We’ve got to be ready to take a team’s top two or three players and take them out of the game.”
Freshman David Brown saw 17 minutes of playing time and provided a healthy portion of Western Michigan’s offense in his first collegiate game. Brown scored 11 points, eight of them coming in a six-minute first half stint.
The visiting Hornets rallied midway through the second half, cutting the Broncos’ lead to just five points. Thirty seconds later, Donald Lawson answered with a put-back dunk that ignited the University Arena crowd. The Broncos’ defense proved invaluable in their effort, leading to 25 turnovers from Kalamazoo College that resulted in 32 points in favor of the home team.
In the final 10 minutes of the game, the Broncos outscored Kalamazoo College 28-7 to secure a win in their first of two exhibition games this season.
The team will complete exhibition play Wednesday when they face Spring Arbor University at 7:30 p.m. at University Arena.
