Western Michigan Broncos vs. Pacific Tigers Recap: Broncos Hold Tough, Win 80-72

Sunday night the Broncos took down the Pacific Tigers in Stockton, CA. Pacific only led for the first 1:09 of the game, but still tested the Broncos throughout.

The Broncos jumped to a 14-7 lead, but the Tigers held in there, and Western went to the halftime break just up 39-35. With 6:35 left in the game, WMU was ahead nine points and the game seemed locked up. The Pacific offense turned on though, and tied the game at 66 with 4:52 left.

But he Bronco offense could not be deterred and thanks to two late game three-pointers from guard David Brown, Western was able to polish off the Tigers.

Forward Connar Tava was WMU's leading scorer, putting up 19 points on the night while going 8 for 11 from the field. Tava was yet again able to slice through an opposing defense and make room for himself near the hoop. The only blemish on Tava's night was a poor 3 for 8 performance from the foul line.

David Brown also looked very comfortable in Cali. He was second in scoring for Western, putting up 16 points in 27 minutes, including four baskets from three point land.

Forward Kellen McCormick and guard Thomas Wilder were both important bench contributors for Western. Wilder had an impressive first half, scoring eight and yet again displaying his intensity moving with the ball. All of McCormick's baskets were from beyond the arc, going 3 for 5 overall in shooting over 14 minutes.

The Tigers were led in scoring by guard Dulani Robinson, off the bench. Robinson scored 23 and added a team-best five assists. Guard T.J. Wallace was second for Pacific, scoring 15 while also leading the Tigers in rebounds with six. As expected, the Tigers' strength was their guard play. But that wasn't enough for Pacific to overtake the Broncos.

Next up for Western is a trip to Evanston for a contest against the Northwestern Wildcats. Yup! Western is playing both Northeastern and Northwestern in the same year. If college basketball ain't a topsy-turvy world, I don't know what is.