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 Bryan Wright made five triples and had a team-high 20 points. |
Dec. 11, 2008
DETROIT - The Wayne State University men's basketball squad (3-4 overall, 1-2 GLIAC) lost its third consecutive game with a 71-66 setback to visiting Northwood University (5-2 overall, 2-1 GLIAC) Thursday night at the Matthaei.
Freshman Reggie Stallings (Flint, Mich./Carman-Ainsworth) drained a three-point shot on WSU's second possession to tie the game at three, but the Timberwolves scored the next nine points before another Stallings triple at the 15:25 mark made it 12-6.
Stallings' second make from beyond the arc started a 9-4 Warrior run which cut the deficit to four at 16-12.
Northwood responded with an 18-5 run over the next six minutes before a pair of free throws by Stallings, who eight of his nine points in the opening half.
Wayne State had a 13-9 scoring advantage over the final four minutes before intermission including a triple by freshman Nick Waller (Harper Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North) at the conclusion of the first half.
Both teams shot over 43 percent in the first half with the Timberwolves making 9-of-14 from beyond the arc.
WSU had a 9-4 run in the first five minutes of the second half which included six consecutive Warrior points by senior Shane Lawal (Southfield, Mich./Lathrup) followed by a triple from junior Bryan Wright (Warren, Ohio/Harding).
After Wayne State had pulled within eight (47-39), NU scored the next five points before a Wright lay-up.
WSU rallied later with five straight points to make it 62-56 with just over five minutes remaining as Wright tallied all five points.
The Warriors missed their next four shots as Northwood regained a double-digit advantage at 67-56.
Over the next 2:30, Wayne State had a 10-2 run keyed by a three-point shot by Wright and a conventional three-point play by freshman Dale Brundidge (Detroit, Mich./Country Day). Following a Northwood turnover, Bryan Edwards (Ypsilanti, Mich./Lincoln) scored from inside with just over a minute remaining to cut the deficit to three at 69-66.
The Timberwolves only made 2-of-5 foul shot attempts in the final minute, but the Warriors were unable to get a shot to fall.
NU's Aaron Simpson scored a game-high 21 points including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Wright led WSU with 20 points including five triples. Lawal had another double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Both teams shot roughly 40 percent (WSU 24-60/40.0%; NU 23-56/41.1%), with Northwood holding a 10-9 advantage in three-pointers made. The Timberwolves made 15-of-22 from the charity stripe while the Warriors were 9-of-14.
Wayne State begins the road portion of its GLIAC schedule next week with games at Northern Michigan (Dec. 18) and Michigan Tech (Dec. 20).
