DAYTON – The Wright State men's basketball team scored 13 of the first 15 points on Thursday night and never trailed as the Raiders grabbed an 82-70 home win over Cleveland State in front of a national television audience.
 
Wright State (7-8, 2-2 Horizon) now readies for a quick turnaround and a visit to Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday afternoon. Purdue Fort Wayne is currently atop the Horizon League standings at 4-0 in HL play. Fans can follow the action several ways - via live stats, by watching on ESPN+ or by tuning in to the new home for Raider Basketball 101.5 HANK FM and WING 1410 AM. Chris Collins and Justin Kinner will have all the play-by-play on the radio feed.
 
On Thursday, the Raiders shot 58 percent in the first half after the hot start but led by just four at the break. After a Cleveland State (10-6, 3-2 Horizon) free throw opened the second half scoring, the Raiders rolled off the next six points to again gain separation. Cleveland State pulled within five with just over 16 minutes to play, but Wright State responded with an 11-0 run that featured a trio of three pointers as the Raiders got the advantage back to double digits, where it would stay the majority of the remainder of the night.
 
Defensively, the Raiders held Cleveland State to a 32.6 percent second half shooting mark, with the visitors finishing the night shooting 38.9 percent overall (28-of-72) – the fourth time this season the Raiders have held opponents under 40 percent overall shooting.
 
Brandon Noel finished a rebound shy of a double-double, settling for a game-best 24 points, his second-highest scoring output of the season, on 10-of-12 shooting. Trey Calvin notched another 20-point night, his eighth contest with 20 or more points this season, as he recorded 15 of his 20 points in the second half. AJ Braun had an efficient night, going 8-of-9 from the floor on the way to 16 points, as he and Noel played a large role in the Raiders' 48 paint points in the win.
 
Alex Huibregtse just missed a double-digit scoring night of his own, settling with nine points, but added five rebounds and a career-high eight assists, with Tanner Holden (six points) pulling down eight rebounds and passing out seven assists of his own as Wright State finished with 22 assists on its 33 made baskets.
 
Wright State shot 60 percent overall (33-of-55) from the floor with an 8-of-16 mark from three-point range. The Raiders finished with a 38-33 rebounding edge, including grabbing 30 defensive boards.
 
Chase Robinson and Tae Williams each finished with 15 points to lead three Cleveland State players in double figures in the loss.