The Wright State Raiders men’s and women’s basketball teams will try to end Indiana Week on the right side of things on Saturday, February 8 in a coast-to-coast doubleheader. That afternoon, the women’s team will go on the road to Memorial Coliseum to battle the red hot Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons at 4ET/3CT in PFW’s annual Free Mini Foam Finger Giveaway game. Later on that same evening, the men’s team will host the IU Indy Jaguars at the Nutter Center on Homecoming Night. Both games can be seen on ESPN Plus.
Last times out: This past Wednesday night, both teams fell victim to a pair of Hoosier State schools yet again, which was the fourth time this season that Clint Sargent and Kari Hoffman’s squads have lost on the exact same day and the second time it has happened with Indiana opponents.
In Fort Wayne, the Wright State men’s team (12-13, 6-8 Horizon) dressed only nine players for the evening since three other guys – starting guard Logan Woods, and benchwarmers Ben Southerland and Braden Grant – were all out due to illness. They scored the first seven points of the night with back-to-back layups from Jack Doumbia and Brandon Noel, followed by a three from Keaton Norris. But the Mastodons countered with a 14-2 run within a six-minute span to take the lead for good and never looked back.
Noel led all scorers with 25 points on 11-of-17 shots from the floor along with 10 rebounds (nine of those board on the defensive glass) on his way to recording his seventh double-double of the season. Jack Doumbia, who was inserted back into the starting lineup over Andrea Holden, scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Norris had eight points, four rebounds and three assists; Solomon Callaghan scored seven points while starting in place of Woods; and Greensburg, IN native Andrew Welage scored six points off the bench while hitting a pair of threes.
Alex Huibregtse was held scoreless for the first time since November 12, 2021 at Marshall. His streak of 32 consecutive games with a made three-pointer came to an end, and it was his first time not hitting a triple since February 1, 2024 at home against Youngstown State.
The WSU men shot 42.1 percent overall from the field (24-of-57), a very bad 18.2 percent on three-pointers (4-of-22), and a poor 50 percent on free throws (12-of-24). However, they did outrebound PFW 36-33.
Rasheed Bello led the Mastodons with 22 points on 8-of-17 shots from the field, while Jalen Jackson – the Horizon League’s leading scorer heading into the rematch – scored 20 points and made 7-of-13 field goals. 11 points, eight rebounds, and four steals off the bench each from Corey Hadnot II; 11 points off the bench by Chandler Cuthrell; 10 points, eight rebounds, and three steals for Eric Mulder; and seven points off the bench from Trey Lewis.
Jon Coffman’s Purdue Fort Wayne team – who is second place in the Horizon League behind Cleveland State – made 48.3 percent of their shots (28-of-58) and 80.6 percent of their free throws (20-of-25), but they only hit 26.1 percent of their threes (6-of-23) Also, they only turned the ball eight times as opposed to WSU who had 16 turnovers.
Meanwhile in Dayton, the Wright State women (6-18, 4-10 Horizon) lost a tough 80-68 decision at the Nutter Center against IU Indy in a battle to break the ninth place tie in the standings, with each team grabbing 32 rebounds. The Jaguars, who snapped a four-game losing streak and never trailed throughout the night, had their last win come against Wright State at home on January 15. Three weeks later, it was deja yu all over again.
The Wright State women had a tough shooting night overall as they made just 46.2 percent of their shots (30-of-65), 25 percent of their threes (3-of-12), and 55.6 percent of their free throws (5-of-9). Amaya Staton finished with her eighth double-double of the season and 15th of her NCAA career with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and a pair of blocks. Claire Henson scored 13 points (6-of-17 FG), pulled down six rebounds, and had a pair of steals. Makiya Miller also scored 13 points (6-of-11 FG) to go along with four assists and a trio of steals, while Ellie Magestro-Kennedy scored eight points off the bench and hit a pair of longballs.
Kate Bruce’s IU Indy team led by as many as 19 and never trailed throughout the evening. They shot 54.2 percent from the field (32-of-59), 46.7 percent from beyond the arc (7-of-15), and 69.2 percent on foul shots (9-of-13). Katie Davidson led all scorers with 28 points (11-of-17 FG) and was a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown. 17 points and three steals from Nevaeh Foster; 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists from Alexa Hocevar; and seven points, seven rebounds, and two blocks from Faith Stinson.
About the women’s upcoming opponent and their last matchup: Purdue-Fort Wayne (19-5, 14-0 Horizon) is currently undefeated in Horizon League play and has won 16 straight games, which is the nation’s third-longest active winning streak. Last night in their 75-46 win over Oakland, Maria Marchesano’s crew put on a masterclass on the boards as they outrebounded Oakland 49-29 and led the whole way through. One mind-boggling stat is that nine of their 16 rebounds in the first quarter alone came on the offensive glass, which is the same amount of total rebounds that Oakland had at halftime combined. They did this all without their third-leading rebounder and starting center, Jazzlyn Linbo, who missed her third straight game with a lower leg injury.
Lauren Ross leads the country in three-point percentage (49%) and ranks third in free-throw percentage (94.7%), while Sydney Freeman is second in the Horizon League in steals (53 total, 2.2 per game).
On December 28, the Mastodons went to the Nutter Center and completely put a post-Christmas belt-to-backside beatdown on Wright State 76-49. Amellia Bromenschenkel led four ‘Dons in double-figures with 16 points, followed by Ross and Freeman with 12 points each, and Linbo with 10 points and eight boards plus a pair of blocks. Also, the Raiders played only nine bodies due to injuries at the time to both of their backup bigs, Chloe Chard Peloquin and Florrie Cotterill.
About the men’s opponent and their head coach: IU Indy (8-17, 4-10 Horizon) was picked to finish 10th in the preseason polls and are currently tied for ninth with Detroit Mercy, two games behind Wright State. They are coming off a wild three-game stretch in which they were the victims of a 106-53 murder at Robert Morris on January 30, followed by an 84-79 upset win last Saturday at Youngstown State before losing a tough 84-80 game in overtime at home this past Wednesday against Milwaukee.
Paul Corsaro, a native of Indianapolis, is in his first season as the head coach of IU Indy. He came over from Division II school UIndy and was followed to Jaguar Country by assistant coach Mike Burris, Director of Operations Reese McGinsie, and five players: guards Ajay Holubar, Jarvis Walker, and Paul Zilinskas; forward Sean Craig; and German center Julian Steinfeld. Corsaro’s assistant coach, Burris, was featured in the HoriZone PC series last month.
Zilinskas, their leading scorer at 17.5 points per game, is tied for 29th in the NCAA in free-throw percentage (88.9%) and tied for 47th in three-point percentage (41.3%). Walker (15.2 ppg) and leading rebounder Craig (10.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg) are the only other two players averaging double-figure scoring.
Wright State starting lineup (from their last game)
• Brandon Noel, F (6-8/240, 5th-year R-Jr.) – 18.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, spg, 0.9 bpg, 33.7% 3-PT, 77.5% FT; leads the Horizon League in effective field goal percentages (58.9%) and made field goals (175)
• Jack Doumbia, F (6-6/195, R-Sr., Norfolk State transfer) – 12.6 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.1 spg, 0.8 bpg; started 10 games
• Alex Huibregtse, G (6-3/205, R-Sr.) – 13.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3 apg, 38.1% 3-PT (3rd in Horizon), 77.5% FT, played and started 24 games
• Solomon Callaghan, G (6-2/195, R-Fr.) – 5.2 ppg, 32.7% 3-PT in 24 games (three starts)
• Keaton Norris, G (6-0/175, R-Jr.) – 7.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 43% 3-PT, played and started 22 games
Wright State men’s rotation players
• Michael Imariagbe, F (6-7/220, Sr., Houston Christian transfer) – 5.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg in 24 games (11 starts)
• Andrea Holden, W (6-6/215, Fr.) – 4.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.2 spg, 14.4 mpg in 10 games (five starts)
• Andrew Welage, G (6-6/205, Gr.) – 3.8 ppg, 35.4% 3-PT, 13.1 mpg in 24 games
• Drey Carter, F (6-8/210, R-Soph.) – 2.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 9.1 mpg in 21 games (one start)
Wright State men’s illnesses – all have recently caught the flu the past two weeks
• Logan Woods (6-5/185, R-Soph.) – 7.4 ppg, 45.6% 3-PT; started the first 24 games
• Ben Southerland, F (6-7/210, Soph., Liberty transfer) – six minutes in four games; hasn’t played since November 21
• Braden Grant, F (6-7/235, R-Jr.) – six rebounds, five minutes in three games; hasn’t played since November 16
Rest of the Wright State men’s roster: https://wsuraiders.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
IU Indy starting lineup
• DeSean Goode, F (6-8/230, Fr.) – 8.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg; started 15 games
• Sean Craig, F (6-7/220, Jr.) – 10.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 35.8% 3-PT
• Paul Zilinskas, G (6-6/205, Gr., UIndy transfer) – 17.5 ppg, 41.3% 3-PT, 88.9% FT in 24 games (23 starts)
• Jarvis Walker, G (6-3/205, Gr., UIndy transfer) – 15.2 ppg, 79.1% FT, started 22 games
• Alec Millender, G (6-1/185, R-Sr., Wayne State transfer) – 7.8 ppg, 3.5 apg, 0.8 spg, 42.1% 3-PT, 78.4% FT, started 20 games
IU Indy rotation players
• Keenan Garner, F (6-6/225, Fr.) – 5.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.9 spg 79.1% FT; started 12 games
• Ron Rutland III, F (6-5/215, Sr.) – 2.1 ppg, 0.6 apg, 7.9 mpg in 21 games
• Caleb Hannah, G (6-7/205, Soph., JUCO transfer) – 0.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 5.9 mpg in 14 games
IU Indy injuries
• Timaris Brown, F (6-5/215, Sr.) – 5.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.5 spg, 0.3 bpg in 23 games (12 starts); missed the last two games
• Nathan Dudukovich, G (6-3, 190, Soph.) – 4.1 ppg, 34.2% 3-PT, 14 mpg in 15 games (two starts); missed the last two games
• Ajay Holubar, G (6-3, 185, Jr.) – 2 ppg, 6.4 mpg in eight games; missed Wednesday’s game
• Ebenezer Ogoh, C (6-10/245, Soph.); hasn’t played since the season opener against IU Columbus
• Julian Steinfeld, C (7-0/255, Gr., UIndy transfer); 1.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 14.7 mpg in six games (three starts); hasn’t played since New Year’s Day
Rest of IU Indy’s roster: https://iuindyjags.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster
WSU-IUI series history: The WSU men leads the all-time series 23-3 and have won 14 straight games against the Jaguars, with the series dating back to 1976.
Wright State women’s starting lineup (from their last four games)
• Amaya Staton, F (6-1, Gr., Merrimack transfer) – 10.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg (leads Horizon), 1.7 bpg (leads Horizon) 52.9% FG, 77.6% FT, 20.8 mpg; leads the Horizon League in total rebounds (173), offensive rebounds (80), and personal fouls (77, T-17th in NCAA)
• Claire Henson, G (5-10, Jr.) – 10.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.3 spg, 36. 7% 3-PT
• Makiya Miller, G (5-7, Jr.) – 8.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.4 spg, 31% 3-PT
• Lauren Scott, G (5-7, Jr.) – 7.7 ppg, 32% 3-PT, 71.4% FT in 20 games (17 starts)
• Olivia Brown, G (5-7, R-Soph. Akron transfer) – 3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 spg; started 13 games, including the last seven
Wright State women’s rotation players
• Macie Taylor, G (5-7, R-Soph.) – 8 ppg, 1.1 spg, 82% FT; started the first 17 games
• Abbie Riddle, G (5-10, R-Fr., Bowling Green transfer) – 3.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 17.9 mpg in 16 games (one start)
• Rylee Sagester, G (5-7, R-Fr.) – 5.5 ppg, 36.7% 3-PT, 90% FT (18-of-20), 15.7 mpg
• Chloe Chard Peloquin, C (6-3, Jr., Canisius transfer) – 4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.5 spg, 0.5 bpg, 15.1 mpg in 21 games
• Ellie Magestro-Kennedy, G (5-7, R-Fr.) – 4.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 11.1 mpg in 23 games
• Florrie Cotterill, F (6-2, Fr.) – 1.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 4.4 mpg in 15 games
Rest of the Wright State women’s roster: https://wsuraiders.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster
Purdue-Fort Wayne starting lineup
• Renna Schwieterman, F (6-0, Soph.) – 7 ppg, 3 rpg, 0.6 spg; started the last three games
• Amellia Bromenschenkel, G (5-11, Gr.) – 10.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.5 spg, 87.9% FT
• Lauren Ross, G (5-10, R-Sr., Michigan State transfer) – 16.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.3 spg, 94.7% FT, 49.7% 3-PT; played her first three years at Western Michigan
• Sydney Freeman, G (5-8, Gr., Dayton transfer) – 11 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.2 spg, 35.4% 3-PT; started her NCAA career at Ball State
• Audra Emmerson, G (5-7, Sr.) – 6.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2 apg, spg
Purdue-Fort Wayne rotation players
• Jordan Reid, F (5-10, Gr., NAIA Indiana Wesleyan transfer) – 6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.8 spg
• Taeya Steinauer, G (5-11, Fr.) – 3.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.1 spg
• Tia Morgan, G (5-8, 5th-year) – 4.2 ppg, 0.5 spg, 74.1% FT in 18 games
• Sydney Graber, F (6-1, Soph.) – 3.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg; played in 19 games (one start)
Purdue-Fort Wayne injuries
• Jazzlyn Linbo, F (6-2, Sr.) – 8.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.9 spg, 1.1 bpg, 76.9% FT, played and started in 20 games; missed the last three games with a leg injury
Rest of Purdue-Fort Wayne’s roster: https://gomastodons.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster
WSU-PFW series history: The all-time series is tied at 11-11.
Raider Notes: Staton and Huibregtse were recently named Wright State’s Athletes of the Month for January.
