The second-seeded Panthers had an emphatic answer for that: No way.
They built a 62-39 lead midway through the second half and never allowed the seventh-seeded Raiders to get within single digits, notching an 87-70 victory Thursday to advance to the semifinals.
Trey Calvin, a first-team all-league guard, scored 28 points on 11-of-23 shooting while playing all 40 minutes for the defending tourney champs, who finished 18-15 and failed to reach the semis for only the second time in six years.
League freshman of the year Brandon Noel had 12 points but grabbed just three rebounds, about seven below his conference average.
BJ Freeman, a second-team all-league pick, had 29 points in 27 minutes for the Panthers, who improved to 21-10 and will play in the semis for the third time in five years — despite posting six straight losing seasons before this year.
“That’s the disappointing part — everybody knows we didn’t put forth our best effort,” coach Scott Nagy said on his post-game radio show. “We had a lot of guys that, honestly, just played nervous.”
Milwaukee jumped out to a 16-2 lead, making seven of its first eight shots. The margin quickly ballooned to 20 and was 45-27 at halftime.
Calvin had 15 points in the first 16 minutes and 17 in the half. Alex Huibregtse chipped in five, but the rest of the team combined for just five.
“We needed more than Trey, and we didn’t have it,” Nagy said. “They were doing everything they could do to stop him. We just needed some other guys to step in and play better.
“They all know that and all feel that way. There isn’t any reason to get mad at anyone. I’ve done it myself (as a player). It’s just unfortunate.”
The Panthers, who earned their highest seed since 2010-11, shot 51%, while Wright State hit 38%.
The winners also had a 48-31 rebounding edge, including 14 offensive boards.
In the other quarterfinal games, top-seeded Youngstown State rallied for a 71-66 win over Detroit Mercy and kept Antoine Davis from breaking the NCAA career scoring record.
The fifth-year guard finished with 22 points, going 7 of 26 from the field and 4 of 16 on 3′s. He fell three short of tying Pete Maravich’s all-time mark of 3,667 points from 1967-70.
Third-seeded Cleveland State pulled out a 75-70 OT win against sixth-seeded Robert Morris.
Fourth-seeded Northern Kentucky advanced to the semis for the fifth straight year with an 81-74 home win over fifth-seeded Oakland.
In the semis Monday at Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Youngstown State (24-8) will face NKU (20-12), and Milwaukee will meet Cleveland State (20-12).
Wright State women: The Raiders’ late season charge came to an end with an 85-57 loss at top-seeded Green Bay in the HL quarterfinals.
They trailed, 52-25, at halftime. Rachel Loobie had 12 points and Bryce Nixon and Makiya Miller 11 each.
The Raiders finished 8-24 after going 4-23 last season, winning six of their last 11 games.
About the Author