In one of the Horizon League’s most shocking upsets this season, the Wright State Raiders men’s basketball team (13-15, 7-10 Horizon) suffered an 89-78 defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Phoenix (3-24, 1-15 Horizon) at the Kress Center on Sunday afternoon. The Phoenix, who are at the bottom of the conference standings, snapped the nation’s longest active losing streak of 21 games and earned their first win in conference play under first-year head coach Doug Gottlieb. If the phrase, “Horizon’s Gonna Horizon,” was a game, this contest was definitely the one.
Note: Clint Sargent’s Raider squad were without starting point guard Keaton Norris, who sat out due to an illness.
Wright State was up early in the contest and grew their lead from 6-4 to 15-4 lead thanks to a 9-0 run with a three-point play and a layup from Solomon Callaghan, followed by another layup from Michael Imariagbe and free throws from Alex Huibregtse. However, Green Bay countered and took the 16-15 lead by scoring the next 12 unanswered points starting with a jumper from Marcus Hall, then the next nine points coming from Ben Tweedy (a jumper, a layup, and five made free throws), followed by a Roee Oselka free throw.
Then after a Drey Carter dunk to give the Raiders the lead back at 17-16, the Phoenix went up 25-17 after going on another 9-0 run with a three-pointer from Ryan Wade, free throws and a layup from Tweedy, and another bucket from Ryan O’Hara.
GB was up 34-26 on WSU with 1:16 near the end of the first half until Callaghan cut it down to a one-possession deficit at 34-31 with a pair of foul shots and a made three-ball, but Tweedy then ended up getting fouled on a three-point attempt from Logan Woods and hit all three shots at the charity stripe as the Phoenix went go into the locker room with a 37-31 advantage.
That sequence allowed Tweedy to go on his own 9-0 run. Following his trio of made foul shots to end the first half, Tweedy picked up right where he left off as he opened the second half with back-to-back three-point plays to have the Phoenix Rising with the 43-31 advantage. It was 46-34 later on after a Preston Ruedinger jumper, but WSU cut the lead down to five after they dropped seven unanswered points with a three from Callaghan, a layup from Noel, and another two-point shot from Callaghan to make it 46-41.
The green and gold were able to get to within two of the lead on a three-pointer banker from Noel to trail 52-50, but back-to-back threes from Ruedinger and Hall grew GB’s lead up to 58-50 with 8:26 to go. WSU cut the lead down to single digits numerous times with the last time coming on a three from Huibregtse at 69-61 with 5:01 to go, but a layup from Tweedy got the Phoenix’s lead back up 10 and Green Bay had the double-digit advantage for the rest of the way.
Wright State finished the day shooting a poor 39.3 percent overall (22-of-56), a terrible 26.3 percent from three-point range (5-of-19), and a solid 79.2 percent on free throws (19-of-24). They also outrebounded Green Bay 37-31.
Callaghan put up a new career-high with 21 points while going 3-of-7 from the three-point land. Noel finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots, but he turned the ball over a game-high five times. Nine points for Huibregtse, six points and nine rebounds for Imariagbe, and 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Jack Doumbia. Andrew Welage, who has not played since February 8 against IU Indy, got extended playing time with Norris out and scored just three points while playing a season-high 30 minutes off the bench.
Green Bay made 44.2 percent of their overall shots (23-of-52), 43.8 percent of their threes (7-of-16), and 76.5 percent of their free throws (26-of-34). Tweedy, a freshman from Australia, led all scorers with a career-high 27 points while going 15-for-16 at the foul line. 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for Hall; 14 points for Ruedinger; and Wade scored 11 points in 30 minutes off the bench while going a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Up next: Wright State will return home to host the arch-rival Northern Kentucky Norse on Friday, February 21 for a 7ET start time, and it can be seen on ESPN Plus.
