FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Wright State women's basketball team finished on the short end of an 83-58 decision to Purdue Fort Wayne on a Saturday afternoon inside the Gates Sports Center.
Jada Roberson led the Raiders (2-16, 1-13 HL) with 12 points and a season-high 10 rebounds, good for her first double-double of the season.
Edecia Beck poured in 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and added two steals.
Jada Wright paced the frontcourt by matching a career-best in blocks with four, while
Channing Chappell pulled down a career-high seven rebounds and dished out a team-leading three assists.
Wright State finished 25-of-66 (38-percent) from the floor, including a 7-of-14 (50%) shooting mark in the third quarter. The Raiders went 6-of-27 (22%) from outside the arc and reached the free throw line three times. Meanwhile, PFW (7-15, 6-9 HL) shot 46% (33-of-72) overall and 90% (9-of-10) at the charity stripe.
Thanks to Wright's defensive prowess, WSU bested the Mastodons in blocks, 5-1. PFW managed to win the battle on the boards, 46-33.
Wright State gained an early 7-5 lead, but the 'Dons closed the opening quarter on a blistering 17-2 run to go up 22-9. Roberson grabbed a game-high five rebounds in the period, while Wright blocked a shot for the seventh time in her last eight games.
The Raiders heated up in the following quarter, closing their deficit to 32-29 at the 2:55 minute mark following an 8-0 scoring spurt. The run consisted of makes by
KK White, Jackson, and
Diamond Stokes. PFW proceeded to outscore WSU 8-0 for the remainder of the period to go into halftime on top 40-29.
WSU outscored the 'Dons 20-18 in the quarter, limiting the home team to a 6-of-16 (37%) shooting clip. Wright blocked another two shots in the period, stretching her game total to three. Meanwhile, Roberson had eight rebounds by halftime, one shy of her season-high in the category. PFW held a significant edge in free throw makes with eight in the half, compared to just one for the Raiders. To add, the Raiders netted just two 3-pointers on 13 attempts.
A 3-pointer by Beck punctuated a 5-0 start to the third quarter for WSU, trimming its deficit to 40-34 at the 8:36 minute mark. The 'Dons quickly pushed their advantage back to double-digits with consecutive unanswered baskets and kept the momentum in their favor by leading 58-46 by the end of the quarter. Wright recorded her fourth and final block at the 4:27 minute mark in the third.
Purdue Fort Wayne put the game out of reach in the final period, extending its lead to 75-55 with 4:05 to go en route to an 83-58 final. Roberson reached double figures in points and rebounds in the quarter, which marked her third career double-double.
The Mastodons had four players score in double figures, led by Aundra Emmerson, with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Amelia Bromenschenkel produced an all-around game with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
The Raiders will continue their conference schedule on Monday, January 7, at Cleveland State Inside the Wolstein Center. Initially scheduled for Thursday, January 3, the meeting was postponed due to weather.
