Raiders will play for the Horizon League title with win over Cleveland State

The Wright State women’s basketball team is headed to the Horizon League Championship game after defeating Cleveland State 73-62 in the semifinals of the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Tournament on Monday, March 8. The top-seeded Raiders were led by Angel Baker, who scored 29 points.

Shamarre Hale was second on the team with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Tyler Frierson tallied 10 points. Emani Jefferson pulled down nine rebounds while adding eight points.

Wright State will play the winner of Milwaukee and IUPUI for the Horizon League title at noon on Tuesday, March 9, at the Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum. The game will air on ESPNU.

The Raiders, who entered the tournament as the top seed after winning a share of the regular season title, improved to 16-7.

The Raiders and Vikings tied 11 different times and traded the lead four different times over the game’s 40 minutes.

The Raiders trailed by two at the end of the first quarter, 20-18. Wright State tallied 19 points in the second quarter to head into the locker room up two, as Baker buried a three just five seconds before the break to give the Raiders the 37-35 advantage.

Wright State went on to outscore Cleveland State 36-27 in the second half, including holding the Vikings to just nine points over the final 10-minute period.
Baker started the scoring efforts for the Raiders in the second half as the junior went on a 4-0 run to start the third quarter. Hale’s layup with 5:38 left to play in the fourth quarter gave the Raiders a 10-point lead and the momentum they needed for the remainder of the contest.

Baker finished the contest 13-for-25 from the field and 2-for-7 from beyond on the arc while pulling down four rebounds. Hale was 7-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-4 from the free-throw line while pulling down a game-high nine rebounds. Frierson’s 10 points came on a 4-for-6 shooting day and a perfect 2-for-2 free throw outing. Jefferson’s eight points all came from the free-throw line, while she also added nine rebounds for the Raiders.

Wright State finished the contest shooting 43.9% from the floor, including 47.4% in the fourth quarter. Cleveland State finished the afternoon shooting 35.2% from the floor while connecting on 21 of their 24 free throws (87.5%). The Raiders tallied 24 second-chance points to the Vikings’ three. Wright State scored 14 fast-break points to CSU’s eight.

Wright State won the battle on the boards for the 22nd consecutive time this season, outrebounding CSU 48-30. The Raiders won the defensive battle on the boards, pulling down 29 rebounds to the Vikings’ 24. The offensive side saw Wright State hold Cleveland State to just six while tallying 19 themselves.