11/22/2022

LAS VEGAS – The Wright State men’s basketball team saw three players turn in double-digit scoring nights and Brandon Noel tally a double-double, but a late push by UC Riverside handed the Raiders a 70-65 loss in the second of three games in the Vegas 4.
 
Noel tallied career-bests in points (14) and rebounds (11) for Wright State (4-2), who led by six on a Tim Finke three-pointer with 2:59 to play before UC Riverside (4-2) ended the night on an 11-0 run as the Raiders missed their final four shot attempts.
 
The Raiders wrap up tournament action on Wednesday afternoon with a matchup against Weber State set for a 4 p.m. ET tipoff. Wednesday’s game can be seen on BallerTV or heard on WONE 980 AM with Chris Collins and Jim Brown on the radio call.
 
Finke also finished in double figures for Wright State with a season-high 13 points as he connected on a trio of three-pointers and pulled down eight rebounds, while AJ Braun added 10 points of his own. Amari Davis tallied nine points, all in the first half, while Alex Huibregtse finished with eight points, including a stretch of five straight points in the second half, and Trey Calvin chipped in six points.
 
Back-and-forth all night, UC Riverside opened the game with a 17-9 start in what turned out to be its largest lead of the night, before the Raiders climbed back into it over the remainder of the first half, leading by as many as seven at 34-27 with just under five minutes until the break before eventually going into the half down 38-34.
 
The second half was much of the same offensively for both sides, with Wright State tying the score at 44-all on a Noel jumper with 12 minutes to go. The Raiders were unable to extend the lead to more than four points from there until the Finke three-pointer pushed the margin to six with 2:59 to play and UC Riverside made its final push.
 
Wright State finished the night shooting 41 percent (24-58) from the floor and connected on 8-of-20 three-point attempts (40 percent). UC Riverside connected at a 47 percent rate (28-60) and hit 10-of-27 three-point attempts (37 percent), seven of which came in the first half. The Raiders were 9-of-14 (64 percent) from the free throw line and UC Riverside was 50 percent (4-8) while outrebounding Wright State 33-32. Wright State passed out 12 assists, including six from Calvin.
 
UC Riverside saw four players finish in double figures, led by Flynn Cameron’s game-high 18 points.

COURTESY WSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS