ROCHESTER, Mich. — Cara VanKempen erupted for a career-high 24 points as the ninth-seeded Wright State women's basketball team used a second-half comeback to defeat No. 8 seed Oakland 79-69 in the Horizon League Championship first round on Tuesday night inside the Athletics Center O'rena.

The Raiders (8-23, 6-14 HL) advance to a tournament quarterfinals matchup at top-seeded Green Bay on Thursday, March 2, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+. 

VanKempen was nearly perfect from the field, shooting 9-of-11 overall, 4-of-4 on 3-point attempts, and 2-of-3 on free throws. Defensively, she added four rebounds, three blocks, and one steal. Emily Chapman finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Kacee Baumhower totaled 10 points and a team-best eight assists. Isabelle Bolender contributed with 10 points and seven rebounds. 

Wright State finished 12-of-26 (46.2%) on 3-pointers, as VanKempen, Chapman, Bolender, Bryce Nixon, and Lauren Scott netted multiple treys. 

The Raider defense held Oakland (13-17, 8-12 HL) to a 37.7% (29-of-77) shooting clip and just five made threes on 18 attempts. WSU blocked five shots, good for its second-highest mark this season. The Golden Grizzlies also struggled by going 37.5% (6-of-16) at the charity stripe. 

Wright State raced out to a 16-12 lead after one quarter of action. Bolender made a pair of 3-pointers, while VanKempen added five points to pace the early charge. Meanwhile, OU went 5-of-17 from the field in the 10-minute span.

Oakland answered back with a 29-19 scoring edge in the second quarter, resulting in a 41-37 halftime deficit for the Raiders. VanKempen had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the opening half, surpassing her previous career-high. 

Wright State batted its way in front, 45-43, at the 7:57 minute mark of the third quarter after five consecutive points by Chapman. The Raiders built their edge to six points, 57-51, following a 3-pointer by Nixon with 1:03 to go in the period. However, Oakland had the closing field goal of the third quarter to minimize WSU's lead to 57-53. 

The Raiders came out firing with a 7-2 run to open the final period, pushing their advantage to 64-57 at the 7:53 minute mark. Oakland got within one possession, 69-66, with 4:25 remaining. However, WSU outscored the Golden Grizzlies 10-3 in the last four minutes of the fourth quarter, highlighted by six consecutive free throw makes to close the game.

Wright State went 7-of-12 (58.3%) from the field in the fourth quarter, led by VanKempen with 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting and a 2-of-2 mark on free throws.