WDTN: Raiders rally from early deficit, see four in double digits in win

WDTN 1/9/2025
DAYTON - Down by as many as 13 in the first half, the Wright State men's basketball team stormed back in the second half and tallied eight of the final 12 points as the Raiders grabbed a 66-62 Horizon League win over visiting Oakland on Thursday night.
Wright State (9-8, 3-3 HL) fought back from the early deficit to trail by five at the break and continued to chip away before pulling even at 43-all with just over 11 minutes remaining. From there, the Raiders and Oakland (5-12, 2-4 HL) tallied five lead changes and six tied scores down the stretch, with Wright State breaking a 58-all tie with 1:31 to play on Alex Huibregtse's three free throws. After Oakland tied it again with an old fashioned three-point play, the Raiders took the lead for good on Jack Doumbia's midrange jumper with 33 seconds remaining. Doumbia sealed the win moments later, deflecting an Oakland would-be lob attempt with under five seconds remaining before Keaton Norris wrapped things up with a final pair of free throws.
The Raiders now look to build off two-straight home wins when they hit the road for a Sunday afternoon road contest at Robert Morris, set for a 2 p.m. tipoff in metro Pittsburgh.
Doumbia tallied 10 of his game-best 16 points in the second half, going 7-of-10 from the floor, adding six rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Norris finished with 14 points in his return to action after missing three games, connecting on four three-pointers while dishing out four assists and collecting two rebounds and a pair of steals. Andrea Holden continued to spark the Raiders, turning in 11 points for the second consecutive contest while grabbing 11 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. Huibregtse was the final Raider in double digits, notching 11 points of his own behind a pair of three-pointers.
Brandon Noel chipped in eight points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal, while Michael Imariagbe added six points for Wright State.
Wright State finished the win shooting 45 percent overall (24-of-53) from the floor while hitting six of its seven three-pointers in the second half (7-23, 30 percent). Oakland turned in a 40 percent overall shooting line (23-of-57), hitting just five three-pointers (5-22, 23 percent). The visitors went to the free throw line 11 times in the opening 20 minutes but finished the night 11-of-19 (58 percent), while the Raiders were 11-of-14 overall at the stripe (79 percent), with all but three of their attempts coming in the second half.
The Raiders tallied 20 points off 14 Oakland turnovers, while the hosts had a 12-6 advantage in second chance points and a 27-12 margin in bench points, led by Holden's 11 points.
Oakland had three players in double figures in the loss, led by Tuburu Naivalurua's 16 points, while Allen Mukeba had 13 points and Isaiah Jones finished with 10 points.