Western Michigan topples Northern Illinois 77-65

Posted February 14, 2011 10:00 pm

Associated Press

DEKALB — Flenard Whitfield had a double-double to lead Western Michigan to a 77-65 victory over Northern Illinois on Tuesday night.

Whitfield scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his sixth double-double for the Broncos (7-4, 14-10), who lead the Mid-American Conference West.

Mike Douglas led the Broncos with 16 points. Demetrius Ward hit double figures for the ninth straight game, adding 15. But his streak of free throws ended at 35 when he missed in the second half. Juwan Howard Jr. scored 12.

Nate Rucker's 11 points led the Huskies (7-17, 3-9), who lost their sixth straight. DeMarcus Grady added 10. Xavier Silas, the nation's second-leading scorer at 24.2, was limited to seven points on 3-for-11 shooting.

Western Michigan used a 12-0 run late in the first half to turn a 24-24 tie into a 36-24 lead. Ward scored 10 of those points, and the Broncos led for good.

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