DAYTON — The Wright State women's basketball program defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene 88-64 in its home opener at the Nutter Center on Tuesday.
Four players scored in double figures for the Raiders (1-2), led by
Kacee Baumhower with a game-best 19 points and five rebounds.
Lauren Scott recorded a career-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with four rebounds, two steals, and a block.
Alexis Hutchison stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while
Cara VanKempen chipped in with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting.
Wright State had its best shooting performance of the early season, finishing 50.8 percent (30-of-59) from the field, 45.5% (10-of-22) on 3-pointers, and 90% (18-of-20) on free throws.
The Raiders dished out 17 assists on their 30 makes while also besting MVNU (5-1) in bench points (37-21), fastbreak points (17-4), and points in the paint (37-34). WSU's defense tallied seven steals and four blocks, turning 16 turnovers by the Cougars into 21 points.
Wright State found itself in an early 7-0 hole but closed its deficit to 18-15 by the end of the first quarter. WSU shot just 33.3% (7-of-21) in the opening period compared to a 53.8% (7-of-13) clip from the Cougars, but Baumhower scored seven points to keep the Raiders within reach.
WSU outscored Mount Vernon Nazarene 25-12 in the second quarter to enter halftime in front 40-30. The Raiders opened the quarter on a 16-0 run while shooting 10-of-13 (76.9%) from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 on threes. Baumhower continued to thrive offensively, adding eight points on three shot attempts.
The Cougars reduced their deficit back to single digits, 46-38, at the 5:15 minute mark of the third quarter. However, Wright State answered with an 11-2 run to increase its edge to 57-40 and finished the quarter ahead 61-49.
The Raiders put the game out of reach with a 27-15 scoring edge in the final period. WSU went 12-for-13 at the charity stripe, while Scott scored eight of her 17 points in the quarter.
Wright State goes back on the road to face Indiana State on Saturday, November 18. The game will start at 2 p.m. ET and stream on ESPN+.
