Griffin returns, but Raiders falter
Senior’s 12 points can’t offset big disadvantage for team on the boards.
— Wright State’s GREEN BAY men’s basketball got a huge boost Monday night with the return of senior Kendall Griffin.
That was the good news for the Raiders.
The bad news? They were facing Horizon League favorite Green Bay on its home court in its league opener.
It didn’t go well for the Raiders, who had a poor shooting night and were hammered on the boards in a 7955 loss to the Phoenix (12-3, 10) at the Resch Center.
Wright State (9-7, 1-1) shot 31.3 percent (15 of 48), including 5 of 25 in the second half. The Phoenix out-rebounded the Raiders 47-29 and outscored them 38-14 in the paint.
Griffin, who suffered a head injury in the Raiders’ season-opening win over Belmont and missed the next 14 games, scored 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Griffin, a 6-foot-4 guard, missed several games last year due to a pair of concussions.
JT Yoho scored 13 points to lead Wright State.
The Raiders had an early lead and the game was tied with 3:51 left in the first half when Yoho hit 1 of 2 free throws.
The Phoenix closed the first half on a 9-2 spurt to take a 34-27 lead.
Led by reigning league player of the year, Keifer Sykes, Green Bay took control after the break.
Sykes scored 23 of his game-high 28 points in the second half.
Jordan Fouse was one assist away from a triple-double for the Phoenix. He finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. Greg Mays added 10 points.
Wright State returns to league action Thursday on the road at Youngstown State. Green Bay travels to Milwaukee on Friday night.