Wright State men’s basketball team defeated the first place Valparaiso Crusaders (21-5; 11-2 Horizon) for the second time this season after a 61-59 victory at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Saturday, Feb. 13.
With 2:35 remaining in the game, senior forward Joe Thomasson fouled out for the Raiders as they trailed 59-53. Senior guard Biggie Minnis checked-in for Thomasson and sparked a comeback as he drained a three-pointer off of the glass with 1:18 remaining.
“There was a lot going through my head, but coach told me to stick with it,” Minnis said. “When I was coming up the court he told me, ‘shoot it in.’”
Minnis found sophomore guard Grant Benzinger for three with 50 seconds remaining to tie the game at 59.
On the following possession for Valpo, Benzinger drew a charge with 22 seconds remaining to give WSU the possession. After a Raiders miss, Minnis tipped the ball in with one second remaining for the win.
“Grant did an unbelievable job of finding an opening and Biggie made the three plays to win the game,” Raiders head coach Billy Donlon said. “The three, the pass and the tip-in. That’s a fifth-year player and that’s the advantage of having him.”
The Crusaders were an undefeated 12-0 at home going into the game before Thomasson led the Raiders with 14 points to hand Valpo their second loss in the Horizon League; both against Wright State. The Crusaders also hadn’t lost at home against a conference opponent since Cleveland State defeated them 69-50 in Jan. 2014.
“They’re a terrific team,” Donlon said about Valpo. “That team will win games in the NCAA Tournament. If they win in Detroit or not, they should go. It will be an absolute travesty if these guys don’t make the tournament.”
Wright State (16-11; 10-4 Horizon) began the game 0-4 from the field as the Crusaders jumped ahead 5-0 in the opening minutes, but Thomasson found senior forward JT Yoho for a three-pointer with 12:16 remaining to tie the game at 11. Yoho finished with 11 points.
Senior center Michael Karena made a hook shot 2:12 later to give the Raiders their first lead of the contest. The shot sparked a 6-2 run for WSU as the Raiders led 17-13 with 7:57 remaining. Karena finished with 10 points.
Over the next 4:43, the game was tied at 17, 19 and 22 before Thomasson found Alstork for three with 2:43 remaining to give the Raiders a 26-22 advantage. During the final 3:14 of the half, Wright State out-scored the Crusaders 11-2 for a halftime score of 33-24.
Valparaiso did not waste any time striking a comeback as they powered a 9-4 run during the first 3:16 of the second half to cut the deficit to four points. Two minutes later, the crowd erupted as Shane Hammink sank a three-pointer to give the Crusaders their first lead since 4:20 remaining in the first half.
There were three ties in the next 4:40 before a 5-0 run by Valpo put the Crusaders up 55-50 with 5:30 remaining before the thrilling finish.
“It gives us a lot of confidence and energy going into Monday,” Minnis said. “Tomorrow we’re getting back to business in practice.”
The Raiders are currently tied with Oakland for second place in the conference and will host the Golden Grizzlies (18-9; 10-4 Horizon) at the Nutter Center on Monday, Feb. 15 for their final home stand of the season. Oakland owns the tie-breaker as they defeated WSU at home 89-63 on Jan. 29, but the Raiders are 12-1 at the Nutter Center this season. Tip-off will be at 5 p.m.
