Wright State holds off Fairfield, finishes own tourney unbeaten

Wright State’s Justin Mitchell looks for room to operate during Sunday’s game vs. Fairfield at the Nutter Center. Allison Rodriguez/CONTRIBUTED

Wright State’s Justin Mitchell looks for room to operate during Sunday’s game vs. Fairfield at the Nutter Center. Allison Rodriguez/CONTRIBUTED

Senior Justin Mitchell scored 15 of his season-high 21 points in the first half, and Wright State fought off a rally by Fairfield for a 57-56 victory on the final day of the second annual Wright State tournament Sunday.

Louden Love chipped in 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Raiders went 3-0 for the second straight year in the event. They won the first two games by a combined 44 points.

The Raiders led by as many as 14 in the second half, but the Stags chipped away at the deficit and cut it to one on a 3-pointer by Ferron Flavors with 6.5 seconds to go.

Wright State couldn’t inbound the ball and was whistled for a five-second violation. But Flavors missed a fall-away 12-footer as time expired.

The Raiders trailed, 20-12, but dug themselves out of that early hole. They took their first lead at 24-22 on Mitchell’s three-point play with 4:37 to go, capping a 12-2 run.

They ended the first half with an 8-0 surge for a 36-29 edge as Mitchell scored six points in the final 56 seconds. His 15 in the half equaled his previous season high.

The Raiders started 4-for-15 from the field but finished 15-for-30 in the first half and 23-of-53 (43.4 percent) for the game.

Jacksonville went 2-1 in the event, Fairfield 1-2 and Gardner-Webb 0-3.

About the Author