Tanner Holden | Photo by Christian Peters | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University Men’s Basketball played a dominant second half to overcome the Bryant Bulldogs 93-82 for the first NCAA D1 Tournament win in program history.
The teams were relatively even in the first half, with a halftime score of 44-42 in WSU’s favor, but the Raiders continued to prove that they are a second-half team, outscoring the Bulldogs.
Tanner Holden dominated the play on offense and defense, securing 37 points, 11 rebounds and two steals throughout the game, outscoring Bryant Peter Kiss, who had the highest points per game in D1 basketball before March Madness.
The Raiders move on to face #1 Arizona Wildcats on Friday, March 18, in San Diego, California.
While the Wildcats are a clear favorite in the matchup, the Raiders are coming into the matchup confident and ready to make a splash.
“I feel like if we stick to our principles that we’ve had all year, we’ll make it a game,” Holden said. “We’re confident, and we’re coming into a win, not just for the experience. We want to make a name for ourselves and a name for our school.”
Offensive dominance
Tanner Holden’s 37 points were not the only success the Raiders had on offense. Trey Calvin put in 21 points on 50% shooting, despite being sick the entire day and throwing up in the locker room as soon as the game was over.
“Trey put in 21 points,” Scott Nagy, Head Coach for the Raiders, said. “Trey’s been sick all day; he’s not been feeling well. He was throwing up as soon as the game was over.”
Despite struggling down low, Grant Basile, the Horizon League Tournament MVP, still managed to put in 14 points, including rotating outside for two three-pointers.
The Raider bench did some sharpshooting as well, with Andrew Welage and Keaton Norris combining for nine points from three-pointers.
“Offensively, we were good. The guys off the bench, Keaton and Andrew, gave us a great lift,” Nagy said.
Overall, WSU put in 92 points on the Bryant defense, and with WSU’s Tim Finke shutting down the nation’s #1 scorer, the offensive success was more than enough for the Raiders’ first NCAA Tournament win.
“Tim made his job pretty tough,” Basile said. “Tim made him work for everyone. He’s a fantastic defender; we’ve known that all year, and he made [Kiss] work for it tonight.”
One for the home team
With the Raiders notching their first D1 NCAA Tournament win in UD Arena, the added bonus of the win being right in their backyard was special for WSU.
“It’s such an unbelievable crowd,” Nagy said. “It’s the first thing I said to our players. This is the first one, and it’ll always be the first one. The way we did it, it’s a lifetime moment for our guys.
With their own fans and the city of Dayton behind them, the atmosphere was electric in support of the Raiders throughout the match, with the cheering of “Let’s go, Raiders!” echoing throughout the UD arena, a sight that has seemed impossible for years.
“I don’t think since I’ve been here we’ve played in an atmosphere like that, with people cheering for us like that,” Nagy said.
With that support behind them, WSU now moves on to the most challenging opponent the team has seen in many years, with the #1 Arizona Wildcats waiting for them in San Diego.
The game can be watched live on TruTV, on March 18 at 7:27 p.m.
