Raiders Ride a Solid Forty Minutes to a 60-42 Victory over Central Michigan

By Mike Klingshirn

DAYTON, Ohio – The Wright State Raiders turned in their most complete effort of the season on Thursday night to come away with a 60-42 victory over the Central Michigan Chippewas (5-8).

The just concluded four-game homestand began with two resounding defeats to Cincinnati and Ohio University by a combined total of 48 points, but ended on a high note and reason for optimism, with victories over Idaho and CMU.

“I feel that we’re getting into a rhythm as a team,” said Vance Hall. “We’re starting to put things together.”

The Raiders (6-8, 1-1 HL) fell behind by seven points after the first six minutes of play, due in large part to one of Wright State’s all too familiar slow offensive starts. However, a rare five-point trip down the court provided the spark that started the Green and Gold engine.

Trailing 10-3, Vance Hall drained a three-pointer from behind the arc in the right wing. Hall was fouled after the shot, and the Raiders retained possession of the ball, with an inbound possession along the baseline from that spot. Reggie Arceneaux quickly hit a jumper ten feet directly in front of the hoop, drawing Wright State to within 10-8 with 13:15 remaining in the half.

A pair of jumpers by Hall and Arceneaux completed a 9-0 run, giving WSU their first lead of the night at 12-10. Central Michigan reclaimed the lead 19-17 at the 7:34 mark, but a Cole Darling trey on the next possession ignited a 15-1 Raider run, catapulting Wright State to a 32-20 advantage and a 32-23 halftime lead.

A steady dose of excellent all-around play and a 25-12 run over the first fifteen minutes of the second half provided Wright State with their largest lead of the game at 57-35 with 4:47 to play. Vance Hall capped-off the Raider scoring for the night by hitting another trey with 1:32 remaining, sending his team to victory by a final score of 60-42.

Hall played with outstanding toughness. He led the Raiders with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Julius Mays (12) and Reggie Arceneaux (11) also scored in double figures.

“He (Hall) brings a lot to the table,” said Wright State head coach Billy Donlon. “He’s a fearless kid. There is no back down with Vance Hall. He has the intangibles that are hard to find, and the other players on our team rally around it.”

Central Michigan outscored the Raiders 24-10 in the paint, while Wright State held the edge in points off of turnovers (26-8) and bench scoring (23-8). Both teams pulled down 32 rebounds.

Tonight’s contest marked the end of non-conference competition, with the exception of a BracketBuster game in mid-February. How did the non-conference schedule prepare WSU for Horizon League play, which begins in one week at Loyola of Chicago?

“They’re going to be tested in the league,” Donlon said. “But you’re not going to be any more tested than playing at Ohio State, at Florida on a neutral site, against Cincinnati at home, going to Air Force and getting your butt beat, then having come back to play at Miami of Ohio, winning a big game in overtime against Idaho, then two days later (just like in the league) having to play a good Central Michigan team. If you’re trying to get your young guys better, there is no better way to do it in my opinion.”

Postgame Audio

Mays and Hall

Coach Donlon

Photos © and Courtesy of Tim G. Zechar

Raiders (5-8) win thriller in OT 80-78 over Idaho Vandals (7-5)

Career highs by Julius Mays (28) and Reggie Arceneaux (19) contributed to WSU winning a game that saw 4 lead changes in the last 21 seconds of the overtime period. It was Julius Mays that hit a running jumper just beyond the foul line at the buzzer that gave WSU a much needed victory.

Wright State got off to a much better start in this game, maintaining a lead until the 13:47 mark when Idaho’s Kyle Barone hit a jumper to give the Vandals a 10-9 edge. The game would seesaw back and forth the remainder of the half. Idaho would go into the locker room with a 1 point lead 33-32. The score was tied 5 times and there were 7 lead changes in the first 20 minutes.

Sledge would lead WSU in rebounds with 5 and Julius Mays lead the Raiders in scoring with 9. Idaho’s Barone led all scorers at the half with 10. Field goal shooting was even at 44% and rebounding was close with Idaho holding a slight edge 18-16. WSU had 6 turnovers but several of those were unforced errors (4 of these were in the 8 minutes of the contest).

WSU grabbed the lead briefly to start the second half on a jumper by Tavares Sledge. From this point Idaho took over and built a lead of 7 by the 13:15 mark and maintained the lead until the Raiders tied the score 54 all with 7:26 left in regulation. The Vandals recaptured the lead a minute later and held on until WSU tied it up again 62-62 with 2:37 left.

Idaho hit the second of two free throws to grab a 1 point lead. Reggie hit a jumper to give the lead back to WSU. It appeared that WSU was going to win this game after Reggie drained two free throws with 1.1 seconds left in the game and WSU holding a 69-66 lead. Idaho would have one last shot and that shot was launched from just beyond half court by Landon Tatum. Overtime!

Idaho once again won the tip to start overtime but promptly turned the ball over and proceeded to foul Julius May to compound the error. Julius made 1 of 2 free throws to get scoring started in OT. Like in regulation, the lead changed frequently, 6 times in the final 5 minutes and 4 times in the last 21 seconds. A layup by Idaho’s Starke gave the Vandals a 1 point lead with 4 seconds left. It appeared WSU would lose once again after putting in a magnificent effort. But remember the last 1.1 seconds of regulation?

Julius Mays drove towards the basket and planned to go to the hoop but was cut off by a Idao defender and had to pull up and take the jumper which went in as time expired. Game over – WSU wins 80-78 and the celebration commenced – at least for a few hours…

It’s a quick turnaround for WSU as they face Central Michigan Thursday night at 7 in the Nutter Center.

Postgame Audio

WSU’s Mays and Arceneaux

WSU’s Donlon

Photos © and Courtesy of Tim G. Zechar

Raiders clawed by ‘cats’ a second straight game.

Tonight it was the Bobcats of Ohio University (9-1) that sunk their claws into the young Raiders (4-8), winning 82-54 in front of an announced 3749 fans including a large OU contingent. There is nothing positive to say about the green and gold for this game. A very frustrated Coach Donlon said after the game, “We are going to find out what we are about. We are going to find out if people are serious.”

The numbers are ugly. WSU shot 41% in the first period (1-7 behind the arc) and 35% in the second (2-8 behind the arc). The Raiders shot 3-13 from the “charity” stripe in the first half. Wright State was outrebounded 18-10 in the first and 32-25 overall. Turnovers totaled 21 – 12 in the first and 9 in the second; OU committed 19 turnovers.

Cole Darling scored 11 points on 5-11 shooting and pulled down 7 boards in 24 minutes on the court. OU’s D. J. Cooper exploded for 20 points and 9 rebounds. Baltic added 15 and Keely contributed 11. The score was tied once (3-3) and WSU never led. OU’s largest lead was 32.

Absolutely nothing went WSU’s way tonight – free throws, shooting, loose balls, long rebounds, nothing. One tweet shortly after the game from a long time Raider fan said it all: “Wow… This is hard to watch. Is actually the worst Wright State Raider team I’ve seen in 16 years as a season ticket holder! SAD!!!”

I spoke to a few fans during and after the game and the common opinion was this is a bad basketball team. It’s hard to say and type this statement but at this point, it’s just the fact. They are young and there is talent to develop but tonight, this season, the players have a long way to go and fans will need a lot of patience. Coach Donlon said it best, “I think you just have to find out who is really here for the reasons they need to be here.”

Next up for WSU is Idaho Tuesday night at home at 7pm. Hope a few fans come back.

Postgame Audio

WSU players

Coach Donlon

OU coach

Photos © and Courtesy of Tim G. Zechar

Bearcats spank Raiders 78-58

The crowd of 5977 was buzzing in anticipation of the nationally broadcast game (ESPN2) between the two teams separated by a few short miles of I-75. The Bearcats were in their first game since the unfortunate incident (fight) at the end of the Crosstown Shootout with Xavier. While shorthanded after several suspensions, the Bearcats left no doubt who was the quicker, stronger and more talented team.

The Raiders jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but a 3 by UC’s Kilpatrick 27 seconds later would erase the only WSU lead in this game. Wright State would not score again for 4 minutes while UC rattled off 14 points to make it 17-4 UC.

The Raiders were simply outmanned in this game and would go into the locker at half down 43-22. UC shot 57% (and an incredible 9-20 from behind the arc) in the first 20 minutes compared to WSU’s 40%. Sean Kilpatrick would have 17 at the half. Rebounds were even at 14 but WSU’s 9 turnovers resulted in 11 points for UC.

Wright State opened the second half with a 5-0 spurt in the first 74 seconds before UC got the offense going again and put this game away. The Raiders appeared to settle down in the second half. Their shooting percentage increased to 54% while shooting 83% at the free throw line (10-12). Turnovers in the second 20 minutes were cut to 4 while forcing 9 by UC. UC dominated the boards in the 2nd half and ended the game with a 31-22 edge. The Bearcats took advantage of this rebounding edge scoring 23 second chance points to WSU’s 2!

UC’s five starters would all score in double digits. Pacher, Hall and Balwigaire would score 11, 10 and 11 respectively for WSU.

UC improved to 6-3 while WSU dropped to 4-7 and will face Ohio on Saturday at 7pm.

Readers should listen to the post game comments from UC’s Coach Cronin about the future of this game.

Postgame Audio

UC’s Coach Cronin and players Kilpatrick & Wright

WSU’s Balwigaire and Hall

WSU’s Coach Donlon

Photos © and Courtesy of Tim G. Zechar

Raiders Grab First Road Victory of Season at Miami 51-49

By Mike Klingshirn

Oxford, OH – The Wright State Raiders rebounded in glorious fashion from one of their worst offensive performances in school history and a 21-point shellacking at the hands of the Air Force three nights earlier, by coming away with a hard-fought and thrilling 51-49 victory over the Miami RedHawks on Saturday afternoon at Millet Hall in Oxford.

“I think we embarrassed our program (against Air Force),” said Wright State’s AJ Pacher afterwards. “We were hungry to come out and play again. We played our hearts out.”

“There is no question that we have some offensive woes,” said Wright State head coach Billy Donlon. “But the best part is that they see the light. If you guard people, you can win games.”

Just three minutes into the contest, the RedHawks (2-5, 0-0 MAC) grabbed a quick 9-1 advantage, thanks to a trio of Wright State turnovers and three Miami baskets from beyond the arc by Julian Mavunga, Will Sullivan, and Josh Sewell.

“When Miami made three straight threes to open the game, I told them in the first media timeout…‘Fellas, if they shoot threes like this for the rest of the season, nobody will beat them’”, said Donlon. “That’s because you have to bring help to Julian Mavunga.”

The Raiders (4-6, 1-1 HL), however, did not roll over and play dead. They fought their way back to go on top 16-15 on a Reggie Arceneaux 3-pointer with 4:27 left in the half.

The lead changed hands five times over the remainder of the first stanza, and the RedHawks held the upper hand, owning a 22-21 lead at the intermission. Miami’s Mavunga nearly had a double-double in the first half alone, contributing with 12 points and nine rebounds, as both teams headed into the locker room.

Trailing 25-23, Wright State regained the lead 29-25 on consecutive three-pointers by Cole Darling — the second one coming at 16:23 left in the game.

The Raiders stretched their lead to 34-27, their largest of the contest, on a basket by Tavares Sledge, and a traditional three-point-play on a drive to the hoop and free throw by Arceneaux.

Undeterred, the RedHawks went on a 6-0 run to tie the score at 37 with eight minutes to play. Armond Battle countered with a trey on WSU’s next possession, and Wright State quickly regained the lead 40-37.

Clinging to a 44-42 advantage with 4:46 left, Julius Mays hit a huge 3-pointer, putting the Raiders up by five points. “I knew that Mays was going to hit a big shot on us,” said Miami head coach Charlie Coles. “Mays hit that big three — that crushed us. I looked over at Mayes. He looked at me and just smiled. That was a big shot.”

Miami’s Jon Harris drained a trey to get the RedHawks to within 50-48 with 46 seconds to play. On the ensuing possession, Wright State’s Armond Battle missed a put-back of a Julian Mays missed three-point attempt. Mavungu grabbed the rebound with seven seconds showing on the clock. He drove down his lane and drew a foul from AJ Pacher, sending him to the line for two free throws and a chance to tie the game with two seconds to play. He made the first free throw attempt, swishing nothing but net, drawing his team to within 50-49.

Mavunga missed his second attempt. Battle skied high for the rebound, was fouled, and made the first of two free throws to seal the victory for Wright State by a final score of 51-49.

“They (Wright State) were smarter than us,” Coles said. “They were more aggressive than us, and they were more together than we were. Sometimes when you’re wrestling the bear, you don’t quit when you want to. You quit when he wants to. I’d like to cry that experience beat us this time…I can’t.”

The triumph was the first win on the road this season for the Raiders, and their first at Millet Hall since November 11, 2006.

Julian Mavunga led the RedHawks with 19 points and 16 rebounds.

Cole Darling was the only Raider to score in double figures with 13 points — going 4-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-3 three-pointers. He also grabbed six rebounds. Reggie Arceneaux scored eight. AJ Pacher also contributed with seven points and seven rebounds.

The Wright State bench outscored Miami’s 22-10 in the contest, while the RedHawks won the battle of the boards 35-34. The Raiders hit 34-percent from the field (15-of-44), including 7-of-18 three-pointers.

The Raiders held Miami to 30-percent from the field. The RedHawks went 6-of-21 from beyond the arc after hitting their first three trey attempts to start the game.

Miami Basketball Trivia (for the old-timers)

For those of you that have a fascination with sports history — Miami University has lots of it — here are a couple of Miami basketball-related trivia tidbits.

Prior to retiring from a 23-year professional baseball career in 1967, longtime Cincinnati Reds radio broadcaster, Joe Nuxhall, called play-by-play for Miami University’s basketball games for three seasons.

Walter “Smokey” Alston, who managed the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for 23 consecutive seasons (1954-76), is a graduate of Miami University. He lettered three years in both basketball and baseball (1932-35), and is a member of the University’s Hall of Fame. He maintained his residence in Oxford, until his death in 1984.

Postgame Audio

Miami’s Charlie Coles

WSU’s Donlon

WSU’s Darling and Pacher

Second straight game decided at the buzzer: Raiders win this one 63-62

By Mike Klingshirn

Dayton, OH – The Youngstown State Penguins got off to a sizzling start, scorching the nets by hitting eight of their first eleven three-point attempts to open up an early 30-13 lead over the Wright State Raiders. But in the end, it was the Wright State Raiders that chilled the Penguins with a 63-62 victory, in a game that was decided at the buzzer.

“This win was significant,” said a pleased Wright State head coach Billy Donlon. “I believe that they (Youngstown State) will compete for the top of our league.”

The contest, witnessed by an announced crowd of 2,879, started with four lead changes over the game’s first five minutes of play, as the Raiders (3-5, 1-1 HL) built an early 7-6 lead. It was then, that the Penguins (5-2, 1-1 HL) caught fire with near perfect shooting from beyond the arc, to take a 17-point advantage with 7:14 left in the half.

However, Wright State quickly followed with a 9-0 run to close the margin to eight points (30-22) before heading into the halftime locker room trailing 38-32.

The second half began with WSU’s Julius Mays attacking and getting to the rim. He scored six straight points for his team on two drives to the hoop, sandwiched around a pair of free throws. That gave the Raiders their first lead in more than 20 minutes of action, at 42-41 with 14:24 to play.

The lead changed hands six times and there were three tied scores over the remainder of the contest.

AJ Pacher drained a trey to give Wright State a 62-57 lead with 2:45 left. However, the Penguins tied it on a pair of free throws by Kendrick Perry and a 3-pointer by Blake Allen at 1:32 to set up the game’s final dramatics.

The Raiders called timeout with 34 seconds remaining to set up a final play. Although Youngstown State had committed just four personal fouls in the half, and had a couple of fouls to give before sending the Raiders to the free-throw line in the bonus, Armond Battle was fouled putting up a shot, while driving the left baseline with 1.6 seconds showing on the clock. Battle sank the first attempt, but missed the second. The Penguins grabbed the rebound and called timeout with 1.0 second remaining.

In a well designed play, the Penguins’ DuShawn Brooks threw a court-long pass to Damian Eargle, who caught the ball in the paint. He turned around with an open look at the hoop. His shot went high off of the back of the rim, and barely missed on the way down, as the buzzer sounded. The Raiders avoided a Christian Laettner moment and came away with a thrilling 63-62 victory.

“For our guys to lose the way that we did on Thursday, and to be down (30-13) on our home floor in the first half – to have the chutzpah to find a way to win, says a lot about the players and assistant coaches in that locker room, because it took a family effort to win,” said Donlon. “That’s significant moving forward.”

“No disrespect to the D-III team, or whoever we played,” said Wright State’s Julius Mays, “But I don’t feel that we won a real game at home yet, and to win a conference game at home feels good.”

Vance Hall was outstanding on defense. He played 38 minutes, guarding Youngstown’s leading scorer Kendrick Perry (17.3 points per game) all night. Hall held Perry to just 2-of-11 from the field. Hall’s defense was a big difference in the game.

Julius Mays led the Raiders in scoring with 19 points. AJ Pacher scored a career high (16), while Armond Battle tied his career high (13). Pacher and Battle led the Raiders, who out-rebounded YSU 32-26, with seven boards each.

WSU outscored the Penguins 30-2 in the paint, while their bench also held a 22-3 advantage over YSU’s.

Postgame Audio

WSU’s Donlon

WSU’s Mays and Battle

Photos © and Courtesy of Tim G. Zechar

Raiders drop heartbreaker to the Vikings on last second shot.

The game was closer than many expected to the delight of the 3349 in attendance. The Horizon League opener had the makings of another huge loss but Wright State (2-5, 0-1) played tough and were oh so close to breaking the losing streak, now standing at four games.

The Raiders played Cleveland State to a 21 all tie in the first half on 40% shooting from the field. The Vikings struggled with 36% shooting.

The game was a dry run for future Dayton CW live broadcasts and featured WDTN’s Jack Pohl and WSU great Bob Grote. Emily Szink played the sideline reporter a la Erin Andrews of ESPN.

WSU got the ball to start the second half and AJ Pacher went strong to the basket to give the Raiders the 23-21 lead to start the half. It would seesaw back and forth the rest of the game as WSU would should 41% in the second period while CSU warmed up to 42% shooting. CSU outrebounded WSU 28-21 but committed 16 turnovers to WSU’s 11. Wright State’s 64% free throw shooting can be looked at as a factor in the loss.

Still WSU had a shot to win the game when the Vikings bricked a long three attempt giving the ball to the Raiders. An over and back call against Wright State gave the ball back to CSU for the last seconds of the game. A tip in by D’Aundary Brown with under a second on the clock gave CSU the 45-43 lead. A length of the court heave by WSU with .3 on the clock failed and Wright State would drop its fifth in a row the the Vikings (7-1, 1-0).

No Raider would get double figure points and Tim Kamcztc would be the sole player to get double figures in the game (12).

The Raiders return to action Saturday against a much improved Youngstown State squad in a 3pm tip.

Postgame Audio

WSU’s Matt Vest and AJ Pacher

Coach Donlon on CSU game

CSU Coach Gary Waters

Photos © and Courtesy of Tim G. Zechar