Feb. 17, 2001

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FAIRBORN, Ohio - Wright State closed the game with a 13-0 run over the final 3:24 to claim a 75-60 win Saturday afternoon at the Nutter Center.

The Raiders actually had to hold off a furious UWM rally after leading by 20 with 12:13 to play. The Panthers closed to within two before the Wright State run to end the contest.

Clay Tucker scored 20 points and was the only Panther in double figures. UWM shot just 39 percent from the field, and the Panthers made just 1-of-11 free throws.

The Raiders (16-9, 7-5 MCC ) grabbed a 56-36 advantage with 12:13 to play in the game before the Panthers (13-12, 5-7 MCC) began their rally. UWM used a 12-1 run to get the lead under double-figures at 57-48, then added a 12-5 run, pulling within 62-60 on a Clay Tucker three-point basket with 3:29 to play. But Kevin Melson scored five straight points to push the lead back to seven, and the Raiders pulled away from there.

"I just thought our guys really, really stepped it up," Panther coach Bo Ryan said. "The way we came back, the way defensively we took some things away. The last six or seven possessions, we were looking to get some points, and we just couldn't get anything to go down."

Like Thursday night at Butler, the Panthers dug themselves an early hole, trailing 19-6 just seven minutes into the game. Wright State eventually built a 15-point first-half advantage, and the Raiders led by 11 at the break.

"They got off to a quick start, and our kids just kept battling," Ryan said.

UWM closes out the regular season with a pair of home games, welcoming Cleveland State to the Klotsche Center Thursday night and Detroit Saturday. Thursday's game begins at 7 p.m. and can be seen on TV-41 in Milwaukee. Saturday's contest is a special 1 p.m. tipoff, and the game can be seen on Midwest Sports Channel.