The Raiders seemed to run into a team with a motivational edge Saturday. Though they erased an early 17-point deficit on the road and built a nine-point second-half lead with 12:42 to go, they couldn’t hold on.
The Grizzlies tied the game at 60 on a Jalen Moore 3-pointer with eight minutes to go and never stopped on their way to an 81-71 upset.
They outscored the preseason Horizon League favorites, 19-9, over the last 6:46.
The Raiders (7-2, 5-1), who had their seven-game winning streak snapped, shot 44.1% but hoisted 25 3′s, making only seven.
They still put four players in double figures: Loudon Love had 17 points and nine rebounds, Tanner Holden 16 points and 11 rebounds, Trey Calvin 16 points and eight assists and Jaylon Hall 10 points
They had a 42-28 advantage on the boards, which normally is a winning formulate. But the Grizzlies (3-10, 3-3) made 9 of 22 3′s and all 14 of their free-throw attempts.
Moore had 24 points to lead four players in double figures.
The Raiders fell behind, 26-9, and still trailed by 14 when Rashad Williams hit a jumper with 7:55 left in the first half. But they asserted themselves after that, going on a 19-4 run and grabbing a 35-34 lead on a Grant Basile layup with 1:50 to go before halftime.
Calvin hit a pair of 3′s and two foul shots to fuel the surge.
Another Calvin 3 made it 40-37 at the break. He had 11 points in the first half, while Holden had a team-high 12.
The Grizzlies made 11 of their first 17 shots, including 3 of 4 3′s, while the Raiders started 2 of 15 overall and 1 of 8 from the arc.
Williams went scoreless in the Raiders’ 90-51 win Friday — missing all nine of his shots, including seven 3′s — but the preseason second-team all-league pick rebounded from that horrendous showing to score 15 of his team’s first 30 points and 18 overall.
The Grizzlies shot 50% in the first half and 45.3% for the game. They made 21.2% of their first-half field goals Friday and hit 26.9% overall.
In the first meeting, the Raiders had a 61-37 rebounding edge and jumped out to an astonishing 44-9 lead, putting together a 30-2 run to blow the game open.
Holden had 24 points and eight rebounds, while Tim Finke had a career-high 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Love notched his fifth double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
FRIDAY’S GAME
Youngstown State at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN2, 106.5
About the Author