 "Photo: Ron Harper / Special to The South End")
The Wayne State men’s basketball team dropped two very close home games Feb. 11 and 13. A last-minute, 68-65 loss to Hillsdale and a triple-overtime 101-99 defeat to Findlay left the Warriors licking their wounds.
The Warriors weakened their chances of the GLIAC playoffs in exciting fashion. Wayne State opened up the scoring against the Hillsdale Chargers and poured in seven unanswered points. Team captain Jerry Oden scored eight points by halftime as WSU entered the second half with a five-point lead.
The Chargers made amends and took control in the second half. After poor shooting in the first half, Hillsdale put on a clinic. It shot nearly 70 percent from the field and was five-of -six from beyond the arc.
Scoring all 23 of his points in the second half, shooting guard Bryan Wright proved himself the biggest bright spot in the offense for WSU, which kept it close. Two free throws from center Bryan Edwards tied the game at 65.
Hillsdale had 13 seconds and the last possession to keep the game from going into overtime.
Tyler Gerber passed the ball to Brent Eaton who took the last shot, a game winning 3-pointer.
“We never really got going energy-wise,” coach David Greer said.
The Warriors failed to capitalize on several opportunities to pull away from their opponent and early in the second half, things fell apart.
“We had too many defensive breakdowns,” Oden said. The Chargers built a lead and enjoyed a victory at the final buzzer.
Greer had to patch things together to take on Findlay, a team that was sitting atop the GLIAC standings.
WSU took complete control of the first half, dominating the glass, the tempo of the game and the scoreboard.
Bryan Smothers took it to the defense of the Oilers with 13 points and only one miss from the field. A 19-point lead was more than anyone expected for a team considered the underdog.
The second half was not as kind. A double-digit lead failed to extinguish the desire for a comeback by Findlay and, by the end of regulation, the score was tied at 70. Mounting the comeback were guards Nathan Hyde and Marcus Parker, who combined for 26 points in the half.
Three overtimes and 61 points later, the Oilers came out on top. The guards of Findlay provided too much firepower while four of WSU’s starters fouled out, forcing Greer to make quick adjustments.
“I think we fought them tooth and nail,” Oden said.
The game was the longest in Wayne State’s history. Smothers ended his shooting slump with 9-of-15 from the field and a team-high 25 points.
“We had our opportunities to win,” Greer said. “We committed all the cardinal sins.”
WSU had a chance to win with fewer than 8 seconds left on the clock, but failed to get a shot before time ran out.
“You can say you can take positives out of losing, but winning is the only real positive that matters,” Smothers said.
Wayne State (10-12, 8-10 GLIAC) next hosts Ashland Feb. 18 and Tiffin Feb. 20 in its last two home games of the 2009-10 season.
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