WRIGHT STATE RALLIES
Raiders overcome 14-point deficit to beat Flames on the road.
Wright State went into its regular-season finale at UIC with nothing on the line.
But someone forgot to tell the Raiders.
WSU rallied from 14 down to beat the Flames 88-81 Sunday afternoon at the UIC Pavilion.
Wr i ght State freshman Loudon Love, from nearby St. Charles, Ill., enjoyed a triumphant homecoming with 23 points and 15 rebounds, both of which were game highs, while WSU senior Grant Benzinger added 21 points while playing all 40 minutes in the final regular season game of his career. Freshman Everett Winchester had a career-high 19 points and career-high eight rebounds.
The Raiders finish the regular season 22-9 overall and 14-4 in the Horizon League, but Northern Kentucky defeated IUPUI 75-56 earlier Sunday afternoon to clinch the championship.
That meant Wright State was locked in as the No. 2 seed and UIC as No. 3 before they tipped off.
The 14-point comeback was the largest of the season for the Raiders, who also set a team record for conference wins in a season.
Mark Hughes added 11 points for the Raiders, including six in the first minute of the second half to start the rally after UIC led 51-43 at halftime.
The 51 points were the most allowed by WSU in any half this season.
As the No. 2 seed, Wright State will play at 5:30 p.m. Saturday against the winner of Friday’s opening-round game between No. 7 Green Bay and No. 10 Detroit Mercy.
The Raiders swept both teams during the regular season. If WSU wins its opener, it will have a bye Sunday before playing in Monday’s semifinals.