After winning three games in three days and six straight, Wright State men’s basketball team fell 78-69 to Green Bay in the Horizon League Championship at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday, Mar. 8.
Senior center Michael Karena led the Raiders with 14 points while senior guard Jordan Fouse recorded a game-high 16 for Green Bay (23-12; Horizon 12-7).
"We will not get on that bus and act like we're anything other than a championship-caliber group," Raiders head coach Billy Donlon said. "We went 19-6 in our last 25 games. I think we've done enough in these last 25 games fully healthy to have an opportunity in the NIT."
The Raiders fell behind 4-0, before Karena scored four straight points, then a lay-up by freshman guard Mark Hughes gave WSU a 6-4 lead after 3:01.
The Phoenix retaliated with a 13-0 run over the next 4:16 to take a 17-6 lead before senior forward Joe Thomasson made a three-pointer to end the WSU scoring drought.
“If you watch the first ten minutes of this game, we missed some incredibly wide-open shots," Donlon said.
Wright State trailed 28-13 with 8:26 remaining in the half, then powered a 9-0 run over the next 2:08 as Thomasson found Yoho for 3 with 6:18 remaining.
Sophomore guard Grant Benzinger made a three with 4:29 remaining to cut the deficit to five, but Tevin Findlay scored seven points as the Phoenix powered a 12-5 run for a halftime score of 42-30.
"When you look at the first half stats, we should've been down 30," Donlon said.
“We kept thinking, 'there's going to be a time where they (shots) fall,'" Benzinger said. "The whole game we believed we were going to make the next shot."
Hughes sank a 3 pointer 2:12 into the second half to cut the deficit to nine, before the Phoenix quickly regained a 14-point advantage at 47-33 with 16:38 to go.
Fouse made a jump shot with 8:48 remaining for the Phoenix largest lead of the game at 62-43 with 8:48 remaining.
The Raiders cut the deficit down to 10 multiple times, then nine with 33 seconds remaining in the game.
"I want to win, but we’re going to get on that bus right now with swagger and eventually we will win one," Donlon said. "It will happen.”
Wright State (22-13; Horizon 13-6) could potentially have more post-season games to play, but it is yet to be determined.
