DAYTON – The Wright State men’s basketball team is back in action Saturday night as the Raiders welcome Cleveland State to the Nutter Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Wright State has won three or its last five games and is in the middle of a four-game homestand, while Cleveland State is 5-6 away from home this season.
Fans can follow the action several ways – via live stats, by watching on ESPN+ or by tuning in on WONE 980 AM. Chris Collins and Jim Brown will have all the play-by-play on the radio and ESPN feeds.
SATURDAY: WATCH ON ESPN+ | FOLLOW LIVE STATS | LISTEN ON WONE 980 AM | GAME NOTES | TICKETS
LAST TIME OUT
Wright State scored 10 of the first 14 points in the second half to cut into the deficit and had a frantic comeback push in the closing minutes, but the Raiders couldn’t dig all the way back as they fell 88-80 to Purdue Fort Wayne. Trey Calvin’s 26 points led all scorers as he added five assists, while Alex Huibregtse and Andrew Welage each had 10 points off the bench. Brandon Noel finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season, and Horizon League-leading fifth in League play, as he pulled down 10 of his rebounds on the defensive glass.
THE VIKING AGE
Cleveland State is 11-9 overall this season with a 6-3 HL mark. The Vikings lost Thursday at NKU, snapping what had been a three-game winning streak. This is the first of two meetings this season between Wright State and Cleveland State, and first since the two met in the Horizon League Championship semifinals last March in Indianapolis, a Raider win.
FAMILIAR FOES
Wright State has won 12 of the last 17 contests in the series overall, which is the longest series all-time in Raider history. The Raiders and Vikings have met 80 times previously, with Wright State coming away with 43 wins. The first-ever meeting came Feb. 12, 1972, a Cleveland State 72-62 win in Cleveland. The first matchup in Dayton came Jan. 21, 1974, a 69-45 Raider win (third meeting overall).
BELIEVE-LAND
-Cleveland State is 11-9 overall under first-year head coach Daniyal Robinson with a 6-3 mark at home and a 5-6 record to date away from Cleveland.
-The Vikings are holding opponents to an average of 64.6 points per game, which is second in the Horizon League. CSU ranks second in opponent field goal percentage, at .412, and ranks third in opponent three-point percentage, holding opposing teams to just 31-percent from long range.
ADD ‘EM UP
Wright State’s Saturday night contest against Cleveland State will add to the longest series all-time in Raider history:
Wright State most-played opponents:
1) Cleveland State – 80 meetings (43 Raider wins) (0 meetings in 2022-23)
2) Green Bay – 70 meetings (37 Raider wins) (1 meeting in 2022-23)
3) Milwaukee – 69 meetings (37 Raider wins) (1 meeting in 2022-23)
4) UIC – 66 meetings (36 Raider wins)
5) Detroit Mercy – 66 meetings (38 Raider wins) (1 meeting in 2022-23)
5) Youngstown State – 66 meetings (50 Raider wins) (1 meeting in 2022-23)
COMING OF AGE
Since the calendar flipped to January, Brandon Noel is averaging a double-double in six contests while shooting 68 percent on his way to 18.7 points/game and 13.2 rebounds/game marks against Horizon League foes. For the season, Noel is averaging 13.9 points per contest, a mark that jumps to 17.0 points per game against HL competition as he’s averaging a double-double in HL play with his 10.6 rebounds per contest as well.
COURTESY WRIGHT STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
