Wright State men’s basketball team put a halt to their three-game skid with a bounce back 66-52 victory over Mt. St. Joseph in their home-opener at the Nutter Center on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
“We did what we were supposed to do tonight,” head coach Billy Donlon said.
Senior guard Joe Thomasson led all players with 17 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
“I feel like there’s no limit for this team,” Thomasson said. “We know it; we’ve just got to prove it. We have to show the world how good we can be every day on every possession.”
WSU got off to a hot start and never looked back as they led 8-0 within the first five minutes until Lions guard Travis Combs hit a 3 pointer to put Mt. St. Joseph on the board.
The basket would be the Lions only field goal for the next 12:43 as they missed their next ten attempts, shooting 11.1 percent for the half.
The Raiders dominated the first half with 20 points in the paint with 14 points off of turnovers while shooting 41.2 percent. The Raiders took a 19 point advantage into the locker rooms at half time with a score of 31-12.
“We had a spark,” Thomasson said. “We came out, we played our game, we executed our game plan and we seen that it was working and ran with it.”
The Lions came out in the second half immediately cutting into the lead with a 7-2 run in the first five minutes. The Raiders retaliated with a 6-0 run to gain their largest advantage of the night of 20 points with 13:39 to go.
The Lions cut the deficit to 11 points with 8:27 remaining but allowed a 13-7 run by the Raiders to regain their 20 point advantage with 5:28 left in the game.
Despite being outscored 40-35 in the second half, the Raiders held on for a 66-52 victory.
“We’ve been right there,” Thomasson said. “Every game we’ve led except for Kentucky. We found a way to finish tonight.”
Senior center Michael Karena added a season-high 12 points while sophomore guard Mark Alstork contributed 11 points and six rebounds in his home-debut.
“It’s exciting to get a win,” Alstork said. “Coming home and playing with my high school teammate (Thomasson), it’s so fun. Being home, seeing your family and having the home crowd.”
After scoring 19 points last game at Kentucky, sophomore guard Grant Benzinger did not play against Mt. St. Joseph due to a decision by the coaching staff.
Wright State (2-3) will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 28 as they travel to Virginia to take on George Mason at 4 p.m.
