ESPN Men's Basketball

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Darius Paul scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, both highs for the freshman forward, as Western Michigan defeated Toledo 65-62 Wednesday night.

The victory gave the Broncos (18-9, 9-4) sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference's West Division, breaking a tie with the Rockets (13-12, 8-5).

Consecutive baskets by Nate Hutcheson, Paul and David Brown gave Western Michigan a 62-58 lead with 2:29 remaining, and Hutcheson's two free throws made it 65-62 with 26 seconds left.

After Julius Brown missed a 3-pointer for Toledo, two missed free throws by Shayne Whittington gave the Rockets one more chance, but Dominique Buckley misfired on a final 3-point try.

David Brown scored all 15 of his points for Western Michigan in the second half, when the Broncos outrebounded the Rockets 24-14.

Reese Holliday scored 16 points, Julius Brown 15 and Rian Pearson 14 for Toledo.