Down two at the half, the men's basketball team shot 61 percent the final 20 minutes as they pulled away for a 73-55 Horizon League win over Valparaiso Sunday at WSU's Nutter Center.

The Crusaders jumped out to an early 10-5 lead before the Raiders went back in front 17-16 on an AJ Pacher free throw with 7:12 remaining in the first half.  WSU again led by one at 28-27 on two Julius Mays foul shots at the 3:46, only to see Valparaiso take a 33-31 edge into the break thanks in part to three baskets from Ryan Broekhoff.

Valparaiso hit 11 of 21 shots for 52 percent in the first half and made 10 of 16 at the foul line while Wright State shot 40 percent and was four of eight at the stripe.

A Matt Vest layup with 15:21 to play broke a 37-37 tie and keyed an 8-0 burst to give WSU the lead for good.   Broekhoff cut the deficit to 47-42 with a jumper at the 10:54 mark, but the Raiders scored six of the next eight points, all coming from Mays, to extend the margin into double figures.

Valparaiso would get no closer than eight the rest of the way as Wright State gradually pulled away down the stretch.

The Raiders hit 14 of 23 shots the final 20 minutes for 61 percent and were equally as impressive from the foul line, making 13 of 14.  The Crusaders, meanwhile, shot just 31 percent in the second half.

Armond Battle paced all scorers with a career-high 23 points for WSU, shattering his previous best of 13 that he set against Green Bay in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament on March 1, 2011 and matched earlier this season versus Youngstown State on December 3.  Mays added 21 and Arceneaux 11.

Broekhoff posted a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead Valparaiso (10-7, 3-2 Horizon) while Kevin Van Wijk had 13.

Wright State (9-9, 4-2 Horizon) now hits the road for three straight, starting with two games in Wisconsin this week, taking on Milwaukee on Thursday, January 12, at 8:00 Eastern followed by Green Bay on Saturday, January 14, at 2:00 Dayton time.