Wright State rolled to an 85-34 victory Tuesday before 3,295 fans at the Nutter Center. Senior forward Steven Davis tied his career high with 26 points to lead the Raiders, who ended a three-game losing streak while improving to 7-4.
They allowed the second-fewest points in program history. The record is 31 against UIC in 2009.
The Blue Knights, who are 3-5 after finishing 2-26 last season, went 12-for-58 from the field (20.7 percent).
“We wanted to force a lot of contested jump shots, and we did that,” Wright State coach Scott Nagy said.
The Blue Knights were playing for the second time in two nights. They dropped a 109-67 decision Monday to IUPUI. Their final D-I exhibition is Dec. 30 at Ohio University.
“Wright State is a really good team,” third-year coach Rob Summers said. “They came out right form the jump. We kept it close in the first 10 minutes, but we couldn’t put the ball in the hole, and they played really good defense.
“They’re a well-coached team and can shoot the ball.”
Asked what he hopes to gain from the exhibitions, Summers said: “We want to play Division I teams that are at the top of their leagues and have our guys go against that talent. With us playing in such a tough conference in Division II (the Mountain East), we have teams that can compete at the same level as these guys. It’s good to come out and get some fights like this.
“I’m excited about the future of our program. Urbana hasn’t been real strong in the past, but I’ve seen some strides.”
Urbana had a 10-8 lead at the first media timeout after making two of four 3-point attempts, but Wright State grabbed an 18-10 edge with the help of two 3-pointers and two foul shots by Mike La Tulip.
The rampage started when the Blue Knights were called for an unforced 10-second violation. Their point guard walked the ball up the floor and took too long to cross half-court.
The Raiders expanded the lead to 28-12 on a four-point play with 6:12 left in the first half. Justin Mitchell was intentionally fouled in transition by Ethan Snapp and made one of two free throws, followed by a 3-pointer from Tye Wilburn.
The gap reached 36-12 on a Steven Davis fastbreak layup, completing a 28-2 run.
NEXT GAME
Who: Wright State at Kent State
When: 4 p.m. Sunday
TV/Radio: TWC Sports Channel, ESPN3/106.5-FM
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