Led by 20 points from A.J. Pacher, the Wright State Raiders downed the East Carolina Pirates, 73-59, in a first-round matchup in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament at Minges Coliseum.
For the Raiders (21-14), Matt Vest added 12 points and five assists, Reggie Arceneaux scored 11 and Cole Darling chipped in with 10 points. The Raiders now advance to the second round of the tournament to face an opponent to be determined.
Prince Williams paced the Pirates (17-17) with 20 points and six rebounds, but he was also charged with six turnovers, while Michael Zangari scored 14 points in the loss.
Wright State scored the first seven points of the contest, shooting 55 percent from the field in the first half and 5-of-10 from 3-point range, as the Raiders took a 31-24 lead into halftime. East Carolina struggled with its shot in the opening period. making just 33.3 percent of its field goal tries, including 3-of-12 from beyond the arc.
The Raiders hit on 66.7 percent of their shots from the field, including 4- of-5 from beyond the arc, in the second half. The Pirates continued to have difficulty from long-range, missing all but one of their 11 tries after halftime.
WSU had the advantage in the front court, outscoring the Pirates in the paint, 34-26 and outrebounding the hosts, 29-24. The Raiders finished the game with 20 assists to offset 15 turnovers.
[SportsNetwork.com]
