Raiders top Cleveland State, advancing to play Northern Kentucky in Horizon League title game

The Wright State men’s basketball team will play for the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday, March 8, after the Raiders defeated Cleveland State 82-67 in the semifinals Monday night in the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

Wright State will take on No. 3 Northern Kentucky on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Indianapolis. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN, and Raider fans can also listen to the radio call with Chris Collins and Jim Brown on WONE 980 AM.

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The No. 4-seeded Raiders (20-13) jumped out to a 22-10 lead early and always had an answer for each run from top-seeded Cleveland State (20-10) throughout the night. Wright State led by 10 at the half and began the second half on a 7-0 run. Cleveland State made a run midway through the second half, getting as close as seven with 9:06 remaining before a Keaton Norris three-pointer pushed the lead back to 10 points and the Raider lead pushed back double digits for good.

Grant Basile finished with a game-high 27 points on the way to his 11th double-double of the season with his 11 boards. Tanner Holden also tallied a double-double with his 12 points and 10 rebounds, including eight points in the second half. Tim Finke scored 12 points of his own, adding seven rebounds, while Norris notched a career-high 10 points behind a trio of three-pointers.

Wright State shot 49% (25-of-51) from the floor overall while connecting on nine of 18 three-pointers.

Defensively, the Raiders held Cleveland State to just a 3-of-20 mark from deep and 40% (25-of-63) from the floor overall.

Wright State won the rebound battle 36-32, pulling down 26 defensive boards to Cleveland State’s 16.