W. Michigan 71, Cent. Michigan 68

Mar 9, 2014, 03:10 pm

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Shayne Whittington had 16 points and 14 rebounds as Western Michigan defeated Central Michigan 71-68 on Saturday to earn a share of the Mid-American Conference West Division title.

Brandon Pokley scored 15 points for the Broncos (19-11, 10-6), who tied for first in the West with Toledo and will be the No. 3 seed in next weekend's MAC tournament in Cleveland. Darius Paul scored 12 points and Connar Tava scored 11. Austin Richie had a game-high seven assists for the Broncos.

Western Michigan overcame a 33-point effort by Kyle Randall, who was 6 for 10 from 3-point range for Central Michigan (11-19, 4-12). Chris Fowler made all five of his shots and had 11 points for the Chippewas.

The win also gave Western Michigan possession of the Michigan MAC trophy, as they finished with the best record (3-1) in games among Western, Central and Eastern Michigan.