ESTERO, FL – Trey Calvin scored 22 of his game-high 24 points in the second half on Monday night as the Wright State men's basketball team downed Louisiana 91-85 in the first game of the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Wright State (1-3) now gets set to take on Hofstra (2-2) on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m., after Hofstra cruised to a 102-68 victory on Monday over Buffalo.
TUESDAY: WATCH ON FLOHOOPS | FOLLOW LIVE STATS | LISTEN ON 101.5 HANK FM | GAME NOTES
The Raiders led 45-34 at the break, thanks in large part to the inside play of
AJ Braun and
Brandon Noel, who combined for 24 first half points on 67 percent shooting, with Noel notching 10 early points and Braun just missing out on a first half double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds at the half. Braun did reach the double-double mark, finishing with 18 points and a career-best 12 rebounds, while Noel ended the win with 16 points.
After Wright State pushed its lead to 10 in the opening moments of the second half, Louisiana (2-2) chipped away, tying the game at 64-all with just over 11 minutes to go before taking a one-point lead at 68-67 a few possessions later with 9:51 remaining. After trading baskets and again being tied, this time at 71-all with just under eight minutes to play, the Raiders took over from there after what turned out to be the last tied score of the night.
Tanner Holden hit a pair of free throws to help the Raiders regain the advantage and kickstart a 12-2 scoring run behind four points each from Calvin, Holden and Noel to push the lead to 10. After five quick points pulled Louisiana within five with 90 seconds remaining, Wright State again responded, tallying six of eight points in the last minute to seal the victory before a final second three-pointer from Louisiana.
For Calvin, it was his fourth 20-plus point game of the season, while Braun's double-double marked season-highs for the big man in both categories. Noel reached double digits for the second time this year while
Andrew Welage was the final Raider with 10-plus points, tallying 12 points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting for his second straight double-digit output.
Wright State finished the win shooting 56 percent (35-of-63) despite connecting on just two of its 12 three-point attempts, both from Welage. Louisiana connected at 52 percent (31-of-60) while going 10-of-26 (39 percent) from three-point range. The Raiders dominated the glass, ending the night with a 41-24 rebound advantage, including a 25-18 advantage on the defensive glass and a 16-6 edge on the offensive boards.
The Raiders played from in front all night, leading the contest for just under 32 minutes of game time, while there were only three tied scores and four lead changes in the game.
