Wright State University
18-13, 10-6HL
UIC
6-24, 1-15HL
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright State | 32 | 36 | 68 |
| UIC | 33 | 28 | 61 |
Men Close Out Regular Season With Win at UIC
3/1/2014 5:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Wright State men's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 68-61 win at UIC Saturday afternoon, clinching the #3 seed for next week's Horizon League Tournament.
WSU led 16-9 following a Matt Vest layup at the 9:22 mark of the first half, only to see the Flames answer with an 11-0 run to take the lead for the first time. UIC later built a 28-23 advantage, but the Raiders were able to trim the deficit to 33-32 at the half thanks in part to a Mark Howell three in the final minute.
Wright State shot 52 percent overall from the field, including five of 10 three-pointers, in the first half but was just one of three at the foul line compared to 50 percent shooting for the Flames, who were 11 of 14 at the stripe.
Hayden Humes again gave UIC a five-point edge at 40-35 on a three with 16 minutes to play, but WSU responded with a 12-0 run over the next four minutes to go back in front. The Flames, though, followed with seven straight of their own to tie the game at 47 at the 10-minute mark.
Six consective Raider points made it 57-52 with 5:50 left and Wright State maintained the advantage the rest of the way despite UIC closing to as close as two.
WSU continued its hot shooting into the second half, hitting for 48 percent to end up at 50 percent overall. The Flames, meanwhile, made 14 of 15 foul shots in the second half, but shot just 22 percent from the floor to finish at 35 percent.
AJ Pacher led the Raiders wtih 16 points and eight rebounds, 11 of those points coming in the second half, while Vest had 11.
Kelsey Barlow paced UIC (6-24, 1-15 Horizon) with 16 points while Jordan Harks had 13 and Pat Birt 12 off the bench.
With the win, Wright State (18-13, 10-6 Horizon) earned the #3 seed for the Horizon League Tournament, which begins on Tuesday. The Raiders return to action on Friday, March 7, against the winner of #6 Oakland and #7 Youngstown State at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Game time is 7:00 Eastern.
