Senior forward Joe Thomasson put on a clutch free-throw shooting display at the Nutter Center on Friday, Jan. 22 as the Raider defended their home court against Valparaiso and extended their winning streak to five games, while moving up to first place in the Horizon League.
"We defended our home court tonight," head coach Billy Donlon said. "I hope people start to see that we've got some pretty good players."
The free-throw line was a popular spot for Thomasson as he made 14 of 16 attempts and finished with a game-high 21 points. He sank 10 of 12 free throw attempts in the final 2:36.
“He just has it,” Donlon said. “That’s why we’re successful. His self-confidence is unbelievable. There’s nobody else I’d rather have at the line.”
“I practice free throws hard everyday,” Thomasson said. “I don’t joke around at the free throw line. I’m kind of disappointed in myself because I missed two at the end.”
Wright State (12-8; Horizon 6-1) jumped ahead 6-0 in the opening 2:42 as the Crusaders went scoreless for the first 5:53. Senior guard Darien Walker sank a three pointer making the score 6-3, then caught fire from behind the arc as he sank another three on the following possession, eventually making his first five attempts from three. Walker finished with a team-high 17 points with 15 in the first half, but scored just two during five minutes of action in the second half.
Going into the game, junior forward Alec Peters led the Crusaders with an average of 18.7 points per game, but he struggled in the first half with just two points. Peters was held scoreless for the first 12:54 until making a lay-up during a 15-5 run for the Crusaders, giving them their first lead of the game at 15-13.
Senior guard Biggie Minnis tied the game at 18 with 4:42 remaining after driving to the basket, drawing the foul and getting the basket to fall. Valpo responded with a 7-1 run but as time expired, sophomore guard Grant Benzinger drained a three-quarter court buzzer beater to make the halftime score 25-22.
“That was huge for us,” senior guard JT Yoho said. “That gave us momentum. Instead of a six-point lead, it was a three-point lead. That’s a big difference.”
Yoho had a huge second half for the Raiders as he made five of seven field goal attempts for 16 points. He finished with 18.
“Yoho made some big buckets when the lead could have gotten stretched,” Donlon said. “He made some big plays down low and that was important.”
The Raiders found themselves down nine at 41-32 with 13:22 remaining before Thomasson powered them back with six points during a 16-0 run over the next 3:33.
“We believe in ourselves,” Thomasson said. “We hold our head on defense. Everybody on our team is competitive and we don’t want them to score. Every time they score, it matters to us.”
Valparaiso (16-4; Horizon 6-1) fired back with a 16-8 run. After Walker found senior guard Victor Nickerson for a powerful dunk, the Crusaders took a one-point advantage with 3:36 remaining.
Twenty-six seconds later, Benzinger found sophomore guard Mark Alstork for three as Wright State regained the lead for the remainder of the game.
Alstork finished with 12 points while Benzinger sank three 3 pointers for nine.
“Everybody had stretches in the game,” Donlon said. "To be 6-1 (Horizon League) that means something. They (players) have put in an incredible amount of work and sacrifice to get in this position."
The first place Raiders will be back in action at the Nutter Center on Sunday, Jan. 24 as they end a five-game home stand against the UIC Flames (2-15; Horizon 0-6) at 2 p.m.
