ATHENS, OH (WKZO AM/FM) – A late 10-0 run pushed Ohio University past the Western Michigan University men’s basketball team 88-76 Tuesday evening at the Convocation Center in Athens.
Three Broncos scored in double-figures, led by Lamar Norman Jr., who had 20. Titus Wright tallied 16 points for the evening, while Tray Maddox Jr. chipped in 10. Markeese Hastings was the top rebounder for Western Michigan (6-14, 2-5 MAC) with seven, while JaVaughn Hannah, Maddox and Wright collected five boards apiece.
The Bobcats (11-9, 3-4) got out to a 9-4 start, but six straight points gave WMU its first lead of the evening, 10-9, at the 13:59 mark. A 12-3 response put Ohio back in front, 21-13, near the midway point of the period.
Western Michigan chipped away at the OU advantage, and then used a 10-2 run, which included eight straight points by Norman, to charge in front, 33-29, with 2:29 remaining in the half. Ohio scored the final eight points of the period to take a 39-35 advantage into the break.
Wright threw down an emphatic dunk to get the second half started, but the next five went to the Bobcats, increasing the hosts’ advantage back to seven, 44-37. A pair of six-point spurts got the Broncos the lead back, 51-50, with 13:35 on the clock.
An 11-2 surge gave Ohio a 61-53 cushion with 11:07 remaining. The Broncos worked their way back to within two a couple of times, including 67-65 with 7:47 on the clock. The Bobcats ripped off the next 10 points in a row, and led by double-digits for the remainder of the evening.
The Broncos shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the floor for the evening, while Ohio made an even 50.0 percent (33-of-66) of its field goal attempts.
Western Michigan continues its road swing Saturday night as it travels to Mount Pleasant to battle rival Central Michigan. The Broncos and Chippewas are set for a 7:00 pm tip on the Bronco Radio Network.
WMU returns to University Arena Tuesday, January 31, to take on Northern Illinois at 7:00 p.m.
(reporting from WMU Athletics)
