Wright State University
Central State (Exhibition)
Men Drop Exhibition to Central State
11/5/2011 4:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The men's basketball team fell behind 14-2 at the start and could not recover as they dropped a 56-50 exhibition decision to Central State Saturday night at Wright State's Nutter Center.
The Marauders scored the first seven points of the game and led 14-2 following an Eddie Jean Pierre three with 13:54 remaining in the first half. WSU cut the deficit to 16-12 on a Tavares Sledge layup at the 6:39 mark before Central State extended the margin back out to nine before taking a 25-18 halftime lead.
CSU shot 35 percent in the first half while Wright State was at 26 percent, including one of 10 from three-point range.
Jean Pierre gave Central State a 44-32 lead on a layup with 8:04 remaining, but the Raiders chipped away and drew to within four at 52-48 on a Julius Mays fast-break layup with 1:02 left.
The Raiders got within four with 28 seconds to go, but two Gates foul shots with six seconds left closed out the contest.
Central State shot 46 percent in the second half and 40 percent overall while WSU hit for 41 percent the final 20 minutes and 34 percent on the night. The Marauders dominated the boards by a 48-22 count and led 12-4 in second-chance points.
Battle and Mays paced the Raiders with 12 points, but no other Wright State player managed more than six. Johann Mpondo gathered in nine rebounds.
Rice led all scorers with 18 for Central State and added eight rebounds while Gates had 11 points and six assists.
Wright State opens the regular season on Friday, November 11, as the Raiders visit Ohio State for a 9:00 matchup that will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
