GAME NOTES: After losses on Thursday set the two programs back, the Western Michigan Broncos and San Jose State Spartans will battle in the consolation bracket of the Wooden Legacy tournament at Titan Gym Friday.

Western Michigan went up against Long Beach State Thursday, coming off the team's first loss of the season. The Broncos didn't rebound from that defeat so well, losing to the 49ers, 73-55. The team will take on the Spartans in an attempt to reach the fifth-place game Sunday.

San Jose State's season seems to be coming off the rails very early on. The Spartans won the first game of the season against Bethesda, but have since dropped four straight, including a 78-56 defeat at the hands of Washington Thursday night.

This will be the first time Western Michigan and San Jose State clash on the basketball floor.

Overall, it was a very cold day for Western Michigan shooting from the floor. The Broncos opened the contest making 31 percent of their shots in the first half, and fell behind Long Beach State by a single point at the half, 31-20. WMU suffered an even further setback in the second frame, making just 30 percent of its tries to slip even further behind. Austin Richie led the way for the Broncos with 13 points, followed closely by Connar Tava's 12 points and Drake LaMont's 11. The team shot an absolutely dismal 3-of-24 from 3-point range in the game.

Although the Broncos are one defeat away from a .500 record this season, the team has shown great strength scoring the ball, entering the contest with San Jose State averaging 77.0 ppg. Four players on the WMU squad are averaging double-digit point totals, led by Richie's 15.6 ppg mark. Tava checks in close behind with a 14.2 ppg average, followed by David Brown's 14.0 ppg average. Tucker Haymond rounds out the group by averaging 13.4 ppg on a 53.8 shooting percentage. The Broncos are allowing opponents to score 70.6 ppg.

San Jose State knows what it's like to suffer through a rough shooting performance, as the team managed just 30.6 percent from the floor in Thursday's loss to Washington. Rashad Muhammed netted a team-best 15 points in defeat, while Jaleel Williams chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds. Although the team shot just 4-of-16 from 3-point range, the Spartans did connect on 14-of-19 from the free-throw line.

Coming into Thursday's game against Washington, the Spartans were scoring 61.2 ppg - not an eye-popping statistic. But that number fell even further down as the team could only amass 56 points in the loss to the Huskies. Frank Rogers was a victim of a slow night, missing his only two shots he took and scoring just two points after entering the contest leading the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg. It was clear the was struggling offensively prior to the clash with Washington, as the Spartans came in shooting 39.8 percent from the floor.

The offensive struggles continued Thursday for San Jose State, while Western Michigan was a victim of a poor second-half effort. The Broncos will possess plenty of scoring options, and could easily run out to a quick lead against the Spartans if Richie, Brown and the rest of the squad are on point Friday.