Nov. 23, 2010

Box Score | Notes | Game Highlights

DAYTON, Ohio - Senior Keith Benson had 25 points, seven rebounds and blocked a season-high five shots, but junior Reggie Hamilton's game-tying 3-pointer attempt at the buzzer fell off the rim and Wright State (3-1) rallied from 14 down in the second half to defeat Oakland University (1-3), 82-79, on Tuesday night at the Ervin J. Nutter Center.

"They went 21-of-21 from the free throw line and came into the game shooting 57 percent," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "It's disappointing because we had the game in control and let it slip away. You cannot make those types of mistakes down the stretch on the road against the good basketball team."

Hamilton finished with 15 points and four assists and senior Larry Wright posted 14 points and a career-high seven assists. Sophomore Ledrick Eackles added nine points and a career-high nine rebounds.

Vaughn Duggins led the Raiders with 23 points and went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, including 4-for-4 in final 30 seconds. Cooper Land and Troy Tabler each scored 17 points, while Matt Vest tallied 15 off the bench for WSU.

Oakland used an early 12-0 run to grab the lead, 12-6, almost five minutes into the game. Wright State fought back and regained the lead 25-23 on a Land 3-pointer with 7:01 remaining in the half. The Golden Grizzlies countered with a 10-0 run and led 41-36 at the break.

The Golden Grizzlies took a 13-point lead, 52-38, through the first four minutes of the second half and looked like they had the game in control. WSU responded with some hot shooting from long range and used a 20-4 run to take its first lead of the second half, 58-56, with 11:42 left in the game.

Benson scored 10 straight points for Oakland to get the Golden Grizzlies back tied, but WSU answered with a pair of 3-pointers to lead by one, 72-71, with just under four minutes left in the second half. The game went back and forth over the final three minutes and Hamilton banked in a 3-pointer with 1:18 left in the game and was fouled, completing the four-point play to give OU a 77-76 lead.

WSU's Duggins got a lay in to give the Raiders the lead once again with a minute left in the game, 78-77. Hamilton then was whistled for a travel at the other end and Oakland was forced to foul with 24.2 seconds left in the contest. Duggins then went to the line and made both free throws as the Grizzlies trailed by three, 80-77.

Wright took an easy layup with 14.7 ticks on the clock as the lead was cut to one, 80-79. Duggins was sent back to the free throw line where he converted both. After a timeout, Hamilton took a 3-pointer at the buzzer that was off the mark as the Grizzlies fell by three points.

The Golden Grizzlies will continue play in the Chicago Invitational Challenge as they face Southern University at the Sears Centre on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on OU's flagship station WDFN-AM (1130) with Neal Ruhl (play-by-play) and Scott MacDonald (color).

-OAKLAND-