2/20/2022

DETROIT – The Wright State men’s basketball team was unable bounce all the way back from a slow start on Sunday afternoon, falling to Detroit Mercy 80-75 in Horizon League action.
 
Wright State (16-13, 13-7 Horizon) now returns home for its final two regular season contests next weekend, hosting Youngstown State on Thursday before taking on Robert Morris Saturday afternoon.
 
On Sunday, Detroit Mercy (12-13, 9-6 Horizon) shot 55 percent in the opening half to take a 17-point advantage into the break. The hosts pushed the margin to 59-33 with just over 12 minutes to play before the Raiders climbed back into it with a 21-5 run over the next seven minutes to pull to within 10 at 64-54.
 
A Grant Basile old fashioned three-point play with 5:04 remaining cut the deficit to single digits before a James Manns jumper and another basket from Basile pulled the Raiders to within five with 3:18 to play. The sides traded baskets and the margin remained five with 45 seconds remaining, but Wright State wouldn’t get any closer, as Detroit Mercy hit all seven of its free throws down the stretch to secure the outcome.
 
Tim Finke’s career-high 21 points led four Raiders in double figures as he went 7-of-11 from the floor with a trio of three-point baskets, four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Tanner Holden notched 20 points, including a 10-of-13 mark from the free throw stripe, as he added eight rebounds. Trey Calvin chipped in 14 points before fouling out, and Grant Basile tallied the afternoon’s lone double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, with all his scoring coming in the second half.
 
Wright State finished the afternoon shooting 43 percent (26-of-61) from the floor following a 30 percent shooting first half. The Raiders were 5-of-23 from three-point range (22 percent), with four of those coming in the second half, while going 18-of-23 from the free throw line. Detroit Mercy shot 52 percent from the floor (26-of-50) and was also 52 percent from three-point range, connecting on 14-of-27 attempts. The hosts connected on 67 percent (14-of-21) of their free throws, 13 of which came in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Raiders finished with a 34-28 rebounding advantage, including a 12-4 margin on the offensive glass that led to 16 second chance points, while Detroit Mercy had a slim, 24-22 advantage on the defensive glass.
 
The regular season-closing weekend begins with a 7 p.m. meeting with Youngstown State on Thursday night at the Nutter Center before the Raiders celebrate Senior Day on Saturday against Robert Morris.

COURTESY WRIGHT STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS