PHILADELPHIA — The Wright State women's basketball program concluded the Hawk Classic with a 66-54 loss against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday afternoon at the Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena.

Bryce Nixon finished in double figures for the third-straight game, as she scored a team-leading 15 points in addition to two assists and two steals. Cara Vankempen stayed hot offensively with a season-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and a 3-of-4 clip on 3-pointers. Makiya Miller tallied seven points, two rebounds, and two steals, while Taylor Johnson-Matthews chipped in with team-high marks in rebounds (4) and blocks (1).

Wright State (1-11, 0-2 HL) shot 38 percent (22-of-57) from the field and 33.3% (10-of-30) from outside the arc, but was held to no free throws for the first time this season. 

WSU forced a season-high 23 turnovers defensively, including nine by way of steal. Miller, Nixon, and Johnson-Matthews totaled two steals apiece to pace the Raider defense.

Eastern Michigan (7-3) finished 49.1% (28-of-57) from the field and outscored Wright State 46-22 in points in the paint and 15-0 in second-chance points. The Eagles finished with 43 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive end. Ce'Nara Skanes scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while Tayra Eke pulled down 13 rebounds. 

The Raiders jumped out to an early 7-2 lead following makes by VanKempen, Bolender, and Miller. WSU stayed in front for the rest of the first quarter, resulting in a 14-11 advantage after 10 minutes of play.

The teams exchanged blows in the second quarter, as Eastern Michigan had the first push with back-to-back shots to go up 16-14 with 8:36 left in the period. WSU took its lead back, 24-18, at the 6:01 minute mark of the quarter with a 7-0 run, punctuated by Nixon's second 3-pointer of the game. 

The Eagles outscored Wright State 8-2 in the remaining six minutes of the first half, leading to a 26-26 tie entering halftime. Notably, WSU scored nine points off 12 EMU turnovers in the opening half, while also holding the Eagles to a 37% (10-of-27) shooting percentage and a 2-of-11 (18.2%) mark from beyond the arc.

EMU's momentum carried into the second half, as the Eagles led 42-33 with 4:31 to go in the third quarter after a 6-0 scoring run. WSU's deficit grew to double digits, 51-39, by the end of the period.

The Raider offense remained steady with 13 points in the third quarter, but EMU hardly missed on its end with 25 points on 11-of-17 (64.7%) shooting.

WSU started the fourth quarter in the 7-0 hole, which built its deficit to 58-39 with 8:24 left in the game. The Raiders trailed by double digits the rest of the way en route to a 66-54 loss.

The Raiders will return to action on Wednesday, December 28, at Horizon League foe Northern Kentucky. The conference contest will start at 7 p.m. and stream on ESPN+.