Wright State Beats Bryant, Will Play Arizona in 1st Round of March Madness

A solid showing from Peter Kiss was not enough for the Bulldogs.

Notable Player Stats

• Tanner Holden, G, WS: 37 PTS, 11 REB, 2 STL, 11-of-15 FG
• Trey Calvin, G, WS: 21 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
• Grant Basile, F, WS: 14 PTS, 8 REB, 3 BLK
• Peter Kiss, G, BRY: 28 PTS, 4 REB, 3 STL, 2 AST, 11-of-24 FG

The biggest storyline entering play was whether Wright State’s lackluster defense would hold up against Kiss and Co.

Yet it was Wright State’s leader who lit up the scoreboard in the early going.

Holden poured in 20 points in the first half alone as his team built a 44-42 lead at intermission. Bryant struggled to stay in front of him in the half court and in transition, which led to a number of easy looks and free throws.

Fans tuning in to see Kiss saw Holden take over for extended stretches instead as the Bryant star struggled to establish his typical rhythm at 3-of-10 shooting from the field before halftime. Pride also missed his three triples in the first half with the Raiders making a point of swarming the two stars whenever they had the ball.

The Bulldogs remained within striking distance at first thanks to secondary scoring from Luis Hurtado Jr. and Adham Eleeda, but things became direr when Pride dealt with foul trouble as Wright State extended the lead early in the second half.

It seemed as if Bryant might finally turn the corner when Kiss stole the ball and dunked it while pressing, but Holden counterpunched with a dunk of his own on the next possession during a symbolic stretch.

After all, Wright State had an answer every time the Bulldogs built any momentum, and Trey Calvin helped extend the advantage to double digits with a beautiful step-back three after getting into the lane on an earlier possession.

Comeback mode was a problem for Bryant because the Raiders’ usually questionable defense found a way to bother its outside shooters. Bryant shot an ugly 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) from three-point range and started to force the issue as the deficit grew as the second half progressed.

Tim Finke also played impressive defense on Kiss, which limited his efficiency and ensured he had to work for his points. That was important because even more of the offensive responsibilities fell on his shoulders when Eleeda fouled out, and the Bryant offense stalled into Kiss or nothing as Wright State maintained control.

Holden continued to rack up the points, while Calvin provided more than enough support to make sure the game was never in doubt down the stretch.             

What’s Next?

Wright State faces Arizona in the round of 64 on Friday.