Women’s Basketball on March 22 | Photo from wsuraiders.com
For the first time since 2012, a 13 seed has upset a four seed in the NCAA Division one Women’s Basketball Championships.
This was Wright State’s third-ever appearance in the tournament and their first NCAA victory in program history. The Raiders will next face off against the winner of UC Davis and Missouri State on Wednesday, March 24.
Angel Baker totaled 26 points and led the game in rebounds with 12 for Wright State, while Chelsea Dungee barely led the game in points with 27 for Arkansas.
Summary
Wright State jumped on the Razorbacks early and held the lead for most of the game. Their first-quarter points came from Angel Baker with 6 and Destyne Jackson with 7, who hit a far three-point buzzer-beater to give the Raiders a 8-point lead at the end of the first half 20-12.
The Razorbacks continued to be picked apart by Wright State off the glass, as the Raiders totaled 21 rebounds in the first half to Arkansas’s 8. Baker continued to be a threat all game, totaling 18 points in the first half alone to give Wright State a 12-point lead, 38-26.
The Razorbacks began to make a comeback, outscoring Wright State by 9 through the third, but Baker kept the Raider lead strong in the last few minutes of the quarter, scoring 5 points in a row to keep Arkansas behind by 8 coming into the fourth quarter.
Arkansas was able to rally, finally taking the lead for the first time in the game 59-58 with just under 2 minutes to play. The raiders would not be denied, though, as a three-pointer from Angel Baker with 29 seconds to go gave Wright State the lead back, 64-62. Two more free-throws secured the win, 66-62.
Every rebound and every free-throw matters
The Razorbacks have struggled with rebounding all season, as their strategy has mostly focused on their strong offense led by Chelsea Dungee, who averaged 22 PPG for Arkansas this year.
On the other hand, the strongest aspect of Wright State’s play is their rebounding, which led to WSU having 14 more rebounds than Arkansas and nearly double their offensive rebounds, punishing the Razorback defense all game.
Arkansas’s comeback in the second half of the game relied on free throws, with the Razorbacks making 21-28 from the line, and Dungee alone scoring 14, where all of Wright State’s roster only made 10.
Wright State’s superior rebounding and accurate shooting decided the game. Even though Arkansas made seven three-pointers and Wright State made six, WSU shot 50% from distance while Arkansas only shot 32%.
The superior rebounds also gave Wright State many more chances, as they shot 50 times inside where the Razorbacks only managed 28.
Those inside points gave the Raiders the edge they needed, and second-chance points gave Wright State the game by four.
