DETROIT – Wright State guard Kendall Griffin scored a career-high 20 points and shut down Detroit leading scorer Juwan Howard Jr. in the Raiders’ 64-53 win over the Titans Monday night.
The win snapped the Raiders’ three-game losing streak and puts WSU back above. 500 at 11-10 overall and 3-4 in conference play.
Griffin’s previous career high was against Detroit when he scored 15 on Jan. 21, 2013. He also scored 15 on two other occurrences.
WSU freshman guard Grant Benzinger matched his career high of 18 points. Benzinger hit a trio of 3 pointers in the first half and finished 5-of-9 from behind the arc.
The Raiders shot 45.5 percent from the field Monday. Monday’s contest was a far cry from WSU’s previous contest last Tuesday versus Milwaukee when the Raiders shot 27.5 percent.
WSU head coach Billy Donlon said after the Milwaukee game his squad got good looks and the Raiders needed to stick to the process despite the loss. On Monday, the process worked as WSU made 10 of its first 15 shots from the field.
“It has been tough for our guys but it really is about the process of everyday improving and sticking to what we believe in our core values,” Donlon said. “Our kids have done that and they got rewarded for that and they’re going to have to do that moving forward.”
Griffin’s career high came on a night he held one of the leading scorers in the Horizon League to just four points, which was his worst scoring performance of the season. Howard scored in double figures in all but one contest coming into Monday’s game.
Griffin gave credit to his teammates for the defense played on Howard.
“I think (we frustrated him) a little bit. But we played great team defense,” Griffin said. “We were always in the gaps. It looks like maybe I did a lot, but really it was the whole team.”
Donlon was impressed by his senior’s performance.
“Griffin was spectacular at both ends of the floor,” Donlon said. “To be able to play against one of the best players, not only in our league but he is one of the best players around in Juwan, and then to have 20. We needed every point and all of them were valuable and what he did was great.”
Griffin missed 14 games after suffering a head injury in the first game of the season. Last Tuesday, Griffin left the game after only playing two minutes as he hit his head against a chair. Griffin was cleared to practice last Saturday leading up to his career performance.
Wright State got off to a good start scoring the first eight points of the game. After WSU got off to a 12-2 lead, the Raiders extended the lead to 30-13 with 6:17 left in the first.
But just like last week at Milwaukee, the Raiders had a long stretch where they couldn’t make a basket. Wright State only managed one field goal in the final 8:19 of the first half. WSU’s cold spell from the field allowed Detroit to go on a 14-3 run to close out the half.
The Raiders held onto a 33-27 lead at halftime.
Again for Donlon, it was about sticking with the process even after his squad’s lead was slipping.
“I told them, ‘At the end of the day fellas, when we started the game, would we want to be up six at Detroit?” Donlon said. “’Take it. So let’s go out and get off to another great start like we did.’ I wasn’t mad at them. We showed them a couple clips at half that we needed to do better and I thought we did a great job.”
After Detroit clawed within three at one point in the second half, the Raiders took a 45-32 lead powered by an 8-0 run.
WSU held UDM off with at least a 10-point lead until the final three minutes of the game.
