The Wright State men’s basketball team stunned Georgia Tech (GTU) on Friday with a second half comeback to win the game 85-81. It was WSU’s first win against a school in a power five conference since 1999, when they upset Michigan State at The Nutter Center.
WSU started out the game on a rough note, shooting only 38 percent in the first half. GTU would take advantage of Wright State’s struggles and go up by nine at the half, 40-31. Georgia Tech shot a whopping 57 percent from the floor in the first half.
As bad as the shooting was for WSU, there were some bright spots. Loudon Love scored nine points on 4-5 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, and Grant Benzinger and Mark Hughes each added eight points in the first half.
WSU started out strong in the second half. They went on a 11-4 run in the first 3:20 of the second half, forcing GTU head coach Josh Pastner to use a timeout to stop the run.
The second half was filled with scoring. A total of 95 points were scored in the second half between the two teams.
With the clock ticking down, Justin Mitchell grabbed an offensive rebound and found Cole Gentry wide open for a three-point shot. It gave WSU a four point lead with a minute left in the game, 81-77.
GTU would get within two points with 21 seconds left, 83-81. They then tried to pressure WSU into committing a turnover, but ended up fouling Loudon Love with 13 seconds left. He made 1-2, bringing the score to 84-81.
GTU missed their next three-point shot attempt, and Justin Hill grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He would make 1-2 free throws to secure one of the best upsets in WSU history, 85-81.
The difference was WSU in the second half. They shot an incredible 66 percent from the field and forced GTU to commit 11 turnovers.
Grant Benzinger led the Raiders in scoring with 22 points. Justin Mitchell (15 points/ 10 rebounds) and Loudon Love (16 points/12 rebounds) each contributed a double-double, and Cole Gentry scored all 12 of his points in the second half.
The Raiders return home Thursday, Dec 28 for their first conference game of the season against UIC at 7:00 PM.
