BOX SCORE
KALAMAZOO- The Western Michigan Broncos (6-12, 3-1 MAC) soundly handled the Northern Illinois Huskies (5-12, 1-3 MAC) Saturday, Jan. 19, 75-51, at University Area. The 24-point win marks the largest margin of victory this season for the Broncos. WMU had five players score in double-digits in its third-straight Mid-American Conference win.
Ebony Cleary led all scorers with 17 points, which tying a career high. Tiera DeLaHoussaye and Molly Dwyer each chipped in 11 apiece. Sara Vest went a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line for 10 points, while Amanda Parker also added 10.
DeLaHoussaye tallied four steals, which moves her into seventh place all-time at WMU with 204 career steals. She needs just five more steals to pass Bronco great Vicky Musky and move into sixth place.
The game started out tight in the first half, with both teams trading baskets back-and-fourth. But with five minutes left in the half, the Broncos went on a 16-6 run to open up the floodgates. DeLaHoussaye sank a free throw with one-minute left to give WMU its first double-digit lead of the game.
With 20 seconds left in the half, Western Michigan opted to hold for the last shot, a move that paid off Broncos. Freshman guard Maria Iquaniello downed a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, giving the Broncos a 39-28 lead at half time.
The Broncos picked up where they left off to start the second half, going on an early 8-0 run to make it 47-28. WMU jumped out to its biggest lead of the game when Dwyer made a three-pointer at the 6:43 mark to give the Broncos a 67-41 lead. The Brown & Gold carried the momentum for the rest of the game to win in lopsided fashion.
The difference maker in the game was the Broncos efficiency at the free throw line. While both teams shot nearly 80 percent from the charity stripe, WMU made 18 more than Northern Illinois. The Broncos were 26-for-33, while the Huskies were only 8-for-10.
The Broncos travel to Ypsilanti on Wednesday, Jan. 23 to take on the Eastern Michigan. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
