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KALAMAZOO - Donald Lawson scored a career-high 15 points with eight rebounds and career-high three steals, while Mike Douglas had career highs of six points and six assists to lead Western Michigan basketball past Holy Cross, 64-54, in front of 2,671 at University Arena on Saturday.

The Broncos (2-2) also got 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal from Martelle McLemore and 10 points and four rebounds from Flenard Whitfield. The Mid-American Conference's leading scorer, David Kool, was held to seven points, four rebounds and four steals against the Patriot League favorite Crusaders (0-6).

Douglas found Nate Hutcheson for an alley-oop dunk and Lawson for a one-handed flush on back-to-back fast breaks early in the second half to put WMU up eight, 39-31, with 15:40 to play after leading by two at halftime. After an alley-oop feed from Douglas to Whitfield with 13:48 to play WMU was up 41-34 with 13:48 to play, but the Broncos went cold.

The Crusaders scored the next five points to pull within two, 41-39, with 11:56 to play. The Broncos responded as McLemore found a loose ball rebound and laid it in, followed by Douglas' second three-pointer of the game. The Broncos increased the lead to a game-high nine points, 48-39, with 9:28 to go after McLemore found Lawson inside for a lay-up.

The teams traded baskets and WMU was still up eight, 56-48, with 3:40 to play after Douglas found Kool streaking down the court for a fast break lay-up. The Broncos went cold and Holy Cross pulled within four, 56-52, with 2:28 to play after four consecutive free throws. Whitfield put WMU back up six, 58-52, with 1:23 remaining after corralling Kool's missed shot and laying it in.

Holy Cross came right back and scored after R.J. Evans hit an acrobatic lay-up off an offensive rebound to keep the game at four with 1:02 to play. The Broncos ran the clock down on the next possession until Kool found Whitfield underneath. He was fouled and converted both freebies to put WMU up six, 60-54, and then junior Alex Wolf tracked down Holy Cross' wildly errant three-point attempt and knocked down both free throws to put WMU up eight, 62-54, and seal the victory.

At the beginning of the game, the Crusaders jumped out to a five-point lead, 8-3, but the Broncos came back to tie the score on a putback lay-up by Lawson and three-pointer by Kool with 14:32 to go in the half. Holy Cross came right back with five points in a row after a pair of offensive rebounds, but WMU came back to even the score again, 15-15, with 9:59 to go in the half after a post move and finish by Lawson.

Holy Cross continued to exploit the Broncos inside and scored a pair of lay-ups to go back up four, 19-15, but freshman David Brown and McLemore drove for lay-ups to tie the score and then Brown hit his first collegiate three-pointer to put WMU in front, 22-21, with 6:57 to go in the half. Sophomore Demetrius Ward added to the lead on the next possession with a floater over the helping big man give WMU its largest lead, 24-21, with 6:11 to play.

Holy Cross scored a basket to cut the lead to one, but then the Broncos answered with six in a row. Whitfield scored the last four with a pair of free throws after an offensive rebound and then a drop step into a lay-up, 30-23, with 2:20 to go in the half. The Crusaders wouldn't let the game get away and scored the last six of the half to be down two, 30-28, at halftime.

The Broncos shot 40.3 percent (25-62), but held Holy Cross to .380 shooting (19-50) and forced 19 turnovers that led to a 23-5 advantage in points off turnovers for the Brown & Gold. In fact, Holy Cross did not make a three-pointer in seven attempts, while WMU hit five triples.

The Broncos are back at University Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against back-to-back Atlantic 10 Tournament champion Temple (4-1). The Owls play St. John's tonight before coming to Kalamazoo.