Wright State defeats Bryant, advances to first round vs. Arizona

It was an exciting first half between Wright State and Bryant, but the Raiders pulled away in the second half to defeat the Bulldogs 93-82. Wright State, a No. 16 seed, now advances to the first round of the NCAA Tournament to face No. 1 seed Arizona.

Tanner Holden had a monster night for Wright State and propelled the Raiders to victory. He had 37 points on 11-for-15 shooting, including 14-for-16 from the free throw line, and 11 rebounds. Trey Calvin provided another huge boost with 21 points. They helped lead Wright State to their first March Madness win in program history.

For Bryant, Peter Kiss — the nation’s leading scorer, averaging 25.1 points per game coming in — scored 28 points to pace the Bulldogs on offense.

It was a close game at halftime as Wright State took a 44-42 lead into the break. But the Raiders pulled away in the second half, outscoring Bryant 49-40 to come away with the big victory.

Wright State advances to NCAA Tournament first round against No. 1 Arizona

The Raiders, the 2022 Horizon League Tournament champions, now have to get ready to take on a strong Arizona team. The Wildcats are one of the strongest offenses in college basketball, which will likely make for a tough matchup for Wright State.

Four Arizona players average double-digit points per game, led by All-American Bennedict Mathurin’s 17.4 points per contest. The Wildcats are also one of the most efficient offenses in the country, averaging 19.9 assists per game this season to lead Division I teams. They also shoot 49.6% from the field, which is likely to test the Raiders defense.

Arizona is one of the surprise stories of college basketball this year, going from unranked in the first AP Top 25 to a No. 1 seed in the South Region in March Madness. The Wildcats will take on Wright State Friday at 7:27 p.m. ET on TruTV.