Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Reggie Arceneaux provided 29 points for the
Wright State Raiders as they clipped the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, 62-62, in a
Horizon League thriller at Gentile Arena.
Arceneaux went 9-of-14 from the floor and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:36
left to guide Wright State (13-4, 4-0 Horizon) to its fifth consecutive
decision. Cole Darling came up with some clutch plays down the stretch and
registered a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Christian Thomas notched a double-double of his own for Loyola (10-6, 1-3)
with 13 points and 11 boards. Ben Averkamp tallied 15 points and Devon Turk
contributed 14 points off the bench for the Ramblers in their third loss in a
row.
The Ramblers looked to be in control as they took a 33-23 lead into halftime
after hitting 45.8 percent of their field goal attempts including 4-of-7 from
3-point range in the opening 20 minutes. Wright State could not find its touch
and shot only 32.1 percent from the floor including 2-of-15 from beyond the
arc in the first half.
Loyola cooled off after the break to make 40.7 percent of its attempts from
the field, but the Raiders caught fire to drain 14-of-23 field goal tries
including 6-of-8 from distance to erase the first half deficit. After
Arceneaux put the visitors up a single point with 1:35 left in regulation,
Turk tried to put the Ramblers back in front with a 3-pointer. Turk's shot was
off but Jordan Hicks kept the play alive with an offensive rebound. Darling
made a big time defensive play by rejecting Hicks's putback attempt and
reeling in the rebound with 50 seconds left.
Arceneaux tried to provide comfort on the scoreboard with a jumper, but he was
unable to drain his attempt, which gave Loyola one last chance. Averkamp
caught a pass at the charity stripe and drove to the rim for a game-winning
attempt, but it rimmed out and after Matt Vest grabbed the rebound for Wright
State, he wisely tossed it down to the vacant end of the court to prevent the
hosts from extending the contest by fouling.
The 3-point arc made a difference as Wright State outscored the Ramblers,
24-18, from distance to remain perfect in the Horizon League standings.
GAME NOTES:
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