Western Michigan beats Central Michigan 71-68, claims West title and bye in MAC tournament
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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.
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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.