With 18 seconds remaining in the game, sophomore guard Grant Benzinger sank a game-winning three-point basket as Wright State men’s basketball team overcame a 14 point second half deficit to defeat Detroit 77-76 at the Nutter Center on Monday, Jan. 18.
“It was a dog fight the whole time,” Benzinger said. “When it left my hands I did not think it was going in.”
Sophomore guard Mark Alstork led the Raiders with 21 points and played a huge role down the stretch as he scored nine straight points for WSU, cutting the deficit to six with 4:13 remaining.
“I didn’t want to lose,” Alstork said. “I just willed the ball in the hole and made some plays for my team.”
Alstork tied the game at 74 with 1:08 remaining after senior forward Joe Thomasson found him for a lay-up.
“He (Alstork) called that play,” head coach Billy Donlon said. “It was a great call by Mark. He got the lay-up and tied the game.”
Sophomore guard Paris Bass recorded a game-high 28 points for the Titans while senior guard Anton Wilson finished with 16 and sophomore forward Jaleel Hogan with 13.
Bass and Hogan each made a free throw to put the Titans up 76-74 with 35 seconds to go.
Thomasson missed a game winning three pointer but fought for his rebound then found Benzinger for the win.
“It all works out as grit and toughness,” Donlon said. “The shot didn’t go in but he had the toughness to get the rebound and the grit to be poised. Joe deserves a tremendous amount of credit.”
Benzinger finished with 12 points for the Raiders while senior center Michael Karena finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Thomasson flirted with a double-double as he scored 10 points and collected eight rebounds despite missing action after a collision on a fast break with 8:32 remaining. He returned to the game with 3:40 left as the Raiders trailed 69-67.
“He brings us energy,” Benzinger said. “He leads us. He’s a big time team-guy and he gets us going in the right direction every time.”
At the beginning of the game, the Titans found themselves up 9-5 after 3:02 with five points from Wilson and four from Hogan.
Wright State retaliated with a 10-0 run over the next 2:56 after Alstork sank a three pointer then drained a pair of free throws.
The Raiders went without a field goal for the next six minutes as Detroit went on a 12-2 run to gain a 23-17 lead with 7:41 remaining in the half.
For the next 2:45 Detroit went scoreless while senior forward JT Yoho found Benzinger for a 3 pointer to complete a 9-0 run that put the Raiders up 26-23.
The Titans bounced back with a 12-4 run in the next few minutes and took a 37-32 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.
Wright State cut the deficit to two points twice within the first 1:02 but a 14-2 run by the Titans put them up 53-39 with 15:34 remaining.
The Raiders responded with a 6-0 run within the next 52 seconds after a lay-up by senior guard Biggie Minnis. The field goal was the Raiders only field goal during an eight-minute time span until Alstork made a lay-up with 9:01 remaining to start the comeback.
Wright State has won four straight games and eight out of their last 10 games. They will be back in action at the Nutter Center on Friday, Jan. 22 as they host the Horizon League leaders Valparaiso (16-3; 6-0) at 7 p.m.
