Wright State men’s basketball team bounced back after dropping three straight games with a 71-65 victory over Charleston Southern at the Nutter Center on Thursday, Dec. 17.
The Raiders (4-7) had five players score in double-figures, led by senior guard Joe Thomasson with 16 points on 5-9 shooting.
“Joe Thomasson is critical to our team,” head coach Billy Donlon said. “His passion to win, his competitive spirit is off the charts.”
Thomasson left the game early in the second half with an ankle injury but returned from the locker room to lead his team to victory.
“They didn’t want me to go back out there and play,” Thomasson said. “I was playing well up to that point. I knew that my team needed me out there.”
Senior center Michael Karena scored 15 points and collected seven rebounds while sophomore guard Mark Alstork scored 12, senior guard JT Yoho scored 11 and freshman guard Mark Hughes scored 10.
The Buccaneers jumped ahead 10-6 in the first 7:13 for their largest lead of the half but the Raiders battled back to tie the game at 10, 12 and then 15 with 8:45 remaining.
In the next 2:10, WSU jumped ahead 23-15 but allowed back-to-back baskets by the Buccaneers to cut the deficit to three with 5:21 remaining.
The Raiders got hot in the final 3:43 as senior guard Biggie Minnis made a tough lay-up beginning a 12-0 run. After 3 pointers by Yoho, Alstork and sophomore guard Grant Benziner, the Raiders led 38-23 at the half.
“I thought we played the best first half of our year on both sides of the ball,” Donlon said.
After committing seven fouls in the first half, the Raiders found themselves in foul trouble after collecting eight in the first 3:10 of the second half.
The Buccaneers cut the deficit to three with 8:30 remaining after shooting 32 percent better than the Raiders at that point in the second half. (57.1 percent)
WSU regained momentum on the next two possessions after Hughes made a jumper and Alstork passed up a three point attempt, drove to the basket and made a tough lay-up with the shot clock declining.
“That was a big big play,” Donlon said about Alstork’s drive. “You could feel the momentum swing. It was a big time play by Mark.”
Charleston Southern battled until the end cutting the deficit to three with 15.9 seconds remaining but a pair of free throws by Hughes kept the Raiders ahead.
Wright State will be back in action at the Nutter Center on Sunday, Dec. 20 as they host Bowling Green (7-3) at 4:30 p.m. after the women’s team hosts Georgia at 2 p.m.
