The first seeds in the 2011 Horizon League Championship were secured on Friday, as Detroit claimed the No. 5 seed with a 77-67 victory at Wright State on Friday. The Titans spoiled Senior Night at the WSU Nutter Center, hitting 8-of-13 attempts from beyond the three-point arc.
Detroit (16-15, 10-8 Horizon) claimed the win despite not getting a single point from leading scorer Ray McCallum until the final minute of play. It was Chris Blake who picked up the slack, knocking down five of his first six field-goal attempts in leading the way with 21 points. Blake did not play in the teams' first meeting in December, which Detroit won.
In the first half, Blake and Vaughn Duggins went back-and-forth, with Blake scoring 15 points and Duggins tallying 13 as Wright State (18-13, 10-8 Horizon) took a 32-27 lead into the half. Detroit came out in the second half on a 13-4 run to take a four-point lead util Duggins drained a triple, on his way to 27 points. An Eli Holman turnaround jumper restored a three-point advantage for the Titans, and they would not trail the rest of the way.
With Duggins leading the way, the Raider were able to hang around, using a N'Gai Evans triple to close within two at 64-62, but Chase Simon countered with a three, fueling a 13-5 closing run for the Titans.
Four Detroit players finished with more than 10 points, led by Blake's career high. Eli Holman and Nick Minnerath each posted double-doubles, with Holman posting 19 and 11, while Minnerath finished with 13 points and 11 caroms.
Playing possibly his penultimate game at the WSU Nutter Center, Duggins finished with 27 points, with fellow senior Evans finishing with 12. Cooper Land had 11, while Troy Tabler returned to the lineup and had six points. The Raiders will host a to-be determined opponent at the Nutter Center on Tuesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. ET in the 6-7 game, while Detroit will host the 5-8 contest at the same time and date.
