W. Michigan 71, Buffalo 60

Feb 2, 2013, 09:34 pm

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Shayne Whittington scored 23 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and had four steals to lead Western Michigan past Buffalo 71-60 on Saturday night.

Darius Paul had 15 points and eight rebounds, David Brown chipped in with 13 and Western Michigan (14-7, 6-2 Mid-American) out-rebounded the Bulls 40-30 while forcing Buffalo to commit 20 turnovers. The Broncos were 21 of 32 from the free-throw line.

Tony Watson hit a pair of free throws mid-way through the second half to cut Western Michigan's lead to one, 43-42, but the Broncos responded with a 28-18 run the rest of the game to secure the win.

Watson ended his night with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Bulls.

Javon McCrea had 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, pulled 10 rebounds and had two assists to lead Buffalo (8-14, 3-5), which shot 41.2 percent from the field and was 6 of 20 from beyond the arc.