Men's Basketball vs. Lake Erie | Photo by Cailtin Shatsby | The Wright State Guardian
For the first time since Feb. 16, 2020, Wright State University (WSU) Men’s Basketball welcomed fans back to the Nutter Center to start off their 2021-2022 season against the Lake Erie Storm (LE).
The Raiders dominated the season opener, beating the Storm by 33 while shooting 41% from the field against the Storm’s 29%, and shooting 29% from the three-point line against the Storm’s 21%.
Not only were the Raiders strong offensively, but they also dominated off the glass, with 53 total rebounds against LE’s 39.
The Raiders have a long road ahead of them, with their next home game against Akron on Dec.15.
First half
Both teams played quick basketball early, with the score at 11-10 Raiders after five minutes.
The Raiders found their groove up close, with drives from Tanner Holden and baskets from Grant Basile giving the Raiders a 21-14 lead.
But a quick eight points from the Storm’s Jackson Burdyshaw and seven from Jordan Burton broke through the Raider defense, bringing the score to 25-24.
The defense for WSU locked up after that, scoring 15 in a row in a dominant run, taking the score to 40-24. They continued to play strong until the end of the half, up 47-28 at the buzzer.
Jackson Burdyshaw led the Storm with eight points, followed by Jordan Burton with seven and D.J. Dial with six. For the Raiders, Holden led the game with 12, followed by Tim Finke with 11 and Basile with nine.
Second half
The teams drew in scoring early in the second half, but WSU still dominated the game, up 55-35 with 16 minutes left to play.
The Raiders continued to dominate the Storm on offense and defense, scoring 10 in a row and still pushing, 64-37.
The Big Three for WSU continued to push their offense, With Holden and Finke each scoring 18, and Basile scoring 13 with eight and a half minutes to play.
Burton, Burdyshaw and Kevin Peterson tried to save some face for the Storm, but WSU still led the game by 28 with six minutes left.
Some of the backups for WSU got a chance to shine later in the game, with freshman Keaton Norris scoring his first points in college basketball and sophomore Andrew Welage scoring six up close.
