Two of the MAC’s leading scorers clashed at the Convocation Center Wednesday night as the NIU men’s basketball team took on Western Michigan.

Sophomore Darion ‘Jake’ Anderson went toe-to-toe with the Broncos junior David Kool to help the Huskies notch a 78-63 win over WMU.

Kool and Anderson entered the match as the conference’s second and fourth leading scorers, and both led their teams in the scoring column Wednesday night. Kool, a candidate for MAC Player of the Year, came out as the better man, out-scoring Anderson 31-26.

It was the second time Kool out-scored Anderson this year, but WMU head coach Steve Hawkins wasn’t entirely excited about the fact.

“Our other players have to step-up,” Hawkins said. “We’re standing around watching David work too hard. We can’t just turn into spectators whenever David’s got the ball in his hands.”

Without Kool, the Broncos had no chance against the Huskies, and it showed in the first half of play.

To start the game, Kool looked as though he forgot his game in Kalamazoo, Mich., while his toughest competition, Anderson, found the net for the Huskies’ first 11 points. Kool went 1-8 from the court and was held to only six first half points.

With Kool struggling, the Huskies were able to build up a 14 point half-time lead. However, to open the second frame, the guard turned his misfortunes around to hit six consecutive shots, cutting a once 19 point lead down to eight.

“I was just trying to be aggressive, trying to get to the basket,” Kool said about the changes he made in the second half. “Once the shots started falling, we just tried to get on the scoreboard.”

Unfortunately for the Broncos, Kool’s success came with consequences. The guard found himself in foul trouble with 12 minutes left in the game, with only a foul to spare.

Kool was benched for the next six minutes, where his team would only convert on two field goals. Prior to his fourth foul, Kool scored 20 of the team’s 32 points, and said it was frustrating to have to sit out.

“When you’re out on the court, you can help your team,” Kool said. “The object of the game is to help your team. It’s frustrating (not being able to play).”

Kool ended the game going 10-19 from the field, and 1-4 from 3-point range, and coincidentally used his last foul to stop Anderson from dribbling out clock-time. Anderson capitalized on one of the two freebies.