Wright State got the win they’d been working so hard for on Thursday, Jan. 11 when they beat Northern Kentucky University (NKU) on the road 84-81.
This was WSU’s first win over NKU since February 2016, and they broke NKU’s 13 game home winning streak.
The game was competitive throughout the entire 40 minutes of play. The Raiders would already be at a slight disadvantage due to the absence of Justin Mitchell, their second leading scorer.
The first half saw both teams exchange leads frequently. WSU had a 12 point lead early in the first half, but the Raiders would not be able to hold it. Grant Benzinger scored 16 points in the first half, and WSU made over 50 percent of their shots. The Raiders took the lead into the second half, 40-38.
The second half saw more of the same. Both teams exchanged leads while holding each other to within five points.
With under four minutes left in the game, Mark Hughes gave the Raiders a seven point lead with a layup off an assist from Loudon Love.
NKU cut the lead to just three with 53 seconds to go. On the ensuing Raider possession, Cole Gentry made a tough shot off the backboard to give WSU a five point lead with under 20 seconds left in the game. This led to NKU fouling Wright State, and eventually securing the victory for WSU.
Grant Benzinger scored 31 points to lead both teams in scoring. Loudon Love added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The win improved WSU’s conference record to 5-0, and gave them sole possession of first place in the Horizon League.
WSU’s ability to make shots helped them pull out the close victory, despite turning the ball over 17 times. WSU shot 55 percent from the field for the entire game.
The Raiders will be back at The Nutter Center on Monday, Jan 15 against Youngstown State. WSU has an eight game winning streak on their home court.
