Wright State women’s basketball team looked to bounce back from a tough loss to Milwaukee as they hosted the Horizon League’s first place team, the Green Bay Phoenix at the Nutter Center on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Raiders put up a good fight, coming within one-point of Green Bay with 25 seconds remaining, but fell short as they lost 63-58.
“Green Bay is good defensively,” head coach Mike Bradbury said. “They’re by far the best defensive team in the league and have been for 20 years.”
Senior guard Kim Demmings was fouled with 3:33 remaining and connected on both shots to trim the lead to five, then came up with the steal. She drove to the hoop and dished to Hayes for a layup to make the deficit within three points of Green Bay.
With 1:50 remaining, Demmings went back to the line and made two free throws, cutting the Phoenix lead to 59-57.
After two controversial calls that both went the way of Green Bay, Demmings was fouled with 0:25 left and hit the back end of the two, to cut the deficit to one.
Senior guard Kaili Luken went to the line and connected on two to increase the Green Bay lead to 61-58. She led the Phoenix with 18 points.
“They made a couple more shots than we did, it wasn’t many,” Bradbury said. “I think both teams played really hard and they made a few more shots. "
Demmings led the Raiders in scoring with 21, while collecting nine rebounds. Junior forward forward Antania Hayes, after missing the last contest, had her sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Senior center Richelle Van der Keijl added 10 points and eight rebounds.
“We played with a sense of urgency,” Demmings said.. “We felt that we dropped the ball on Thursday and were distracted, we corrected, got humble and got back at it.”
Van der Keijl grabbed a rebound and put it back for the Raiders first points of the game, 23 seconds into the first quarter.
Demmings then connected for two with 5:34 left in the quarter putting the Raiders up 8-2.
Hayes hit a long jumper to give the Raiders a 15-12 lead as time expired in the first quarter.
Demmings made a two with 3:51 to go in the second to give her six points for the first half.
After the Phoenix took a lead, Hayes hit a short-range jumper with 0:35 to go to bring the Raiders within two points.
Junior guard Tesha Buck hit a three pointer to increase the Phoenix lead to 30-25 and that’s where the score remained to close out the first half.
Van der Keijl snagged a rebound and scored for WSU’s first basket in the second half, then Hayes drained another jumper to cut the Green Bay lead to four points, with the Raiders trailing 34-30.
Demmings connected on a layup, then followed it up with two free-throws in a 0:30 stretch to bring the Raiders closer, trailing by four 42-38.
Freshman guard Emily Vogelpohl connected on a three-point basket with 2:00 left in the third quarter for her first points of the game, cutting the Phoenix lead to two.
Junior forward Mehryn Kraker connected for a three pointer at the end of the third quarter to put the Phoenix up seven, 48-41.
Vogelpohl hit her second three of the game with 6:17 remaining then fouled out with 3:50 left as the Phoenix pushed the lead back to seven before the late run by the Raiders.
Wright State (15-5; Horizon 5-2) will head out on the road for their next five games as they play Youngstown State (13-5; Horizon 4-3) Thursday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m.
