MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE Williams lifts W. Michigan to easy win over Fordham

The Broncos put the game away with a 14-0 run in the second half.
COMBINED DISPATCHES
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Mike Williams scored 27 points to lead Western Michigan to an 88-67 non-conference win Saturday over Fordham.
Williams scored Western's first eight points and had four consecutive baskets in a 14-0 run in the second half. Four starters reached double figures in scoring for Western (3-1), which won its ninth consecutive home game.
Brian Snider scored a career-high 10 points for Western.
The Broncos led by as many as 25 after overcoming an early 8-0 deficit. Center Anthony Kann had his first double-double of the season, with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Derrick Breland led Fordham (2-5) with 19 points, including six 3-point baskets. In his previous six games, Breland had made 1-of-10 3-point shots.
Fordham's Michael Haynes scored 15 points before leaving with an ankle injury with 2:21 left in the first half.
Fordham, which entered the game with 3-point shooting percentage of .304, made 9-of-13 3-pointers in the first half. But the Rams missed their first three long-range shots in the second as the Broncos went on a 10-0 run.
Akron
They practice just like usual, as if it's just another game.
Except, it's not.
They say the same things about the opponent, careful not to offend while remaining confident in their abilities. Except, this is not just any opponent.
No matter how it's spun, Akron's matchup at 5-0 North Carolina today is the biggest basketball game these Zips have ever played.
"We've played some good opponents over the years, like Syracuse and Purdue," Zips' nine-year coach Dan Hipsher said. "But this is as rich as it gets."
Although the Zips are 3-1 and off to their best start in five years, they know they come in as an underdog against the eighth-ranked Tar Heels.