A Shayne Whittington tip in early on gave the Western Michigan Broncos a 7-6 lead over North Dakota State on Wednesday night, but a Trayvonn Wright three pointer gave NDSU the lead back and they would never surrender it. David Brown led the way with 27 points while Whittington came in with 16 points and nine rebounds.
With the loss, the Broncos drop to 3-2 and end their undefeated season at home after two games. NDSU improves to 2-2 thanks to solid outings from Wright, Taylor Braun and Marshall Bjorklund.
Western Michigan was never able to get closer than nine in the second half thanks to a consistent offensive performance by NDSU that seemed to have an answer for every advance the Broncos would make. Braun's 23 points led the way for the visitors, followed by Bjorklund's 18 and 16 from Wright. Those three shot a combined 20-for-32 from the field, 6-for-12 from three, and 11-for-16 from the free-throw line with 15 rebounds to go along with their offensive output.
Suffice to say, NDSU came to play.
Brown and Whittington were supported by Connar Tava with 16 points and six rebounds, but no other player managed more than three points.