Game Time Set for Wright State-Pittsburgh Matchup -- Tuesday, March 13 2007
The game time for the NCAA First Round matchup between Wright State and Pittsburgh at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo has been set for approximately 9:40 Thursday night, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Duke-Virginia Commonwealth game, which will start at 7:10.

The game between the Raiders and Panthers will be the fourth of the day in Buffalo as Maryland meets Davidson at 12:20 and fellow Horizon League member Butler faces Old Dominion at 2:40.

Baseball Sweeps Series From Air Force with 9-2 Victory -- Tuesday, March 13 2007
USAFA, CO - The Wright State baseball team completed their sweep of Air Force on Sunday afternoon with a 9-2 victory at Falcon Field. The Raiders posted 16 hits and walked four times in the series finale.

Again the Raiders struck with runs early in the contest off of the Air Force pitching staff. Nick Allsop walked and advanced to third on a J.C. Ramatowski double to left field. Allsop then scored when John Kopilchack's bunt attempt was thrown away trying to pick off Allsop at third. Ramatowski scored when Ross Oeder singled up the middle, giving WSU a 2-0 lead.

The Green and Gold added to their lead in the third on back-to-back doubles from Brian Shoup and Aaron Fields extended the lead to 3-0. Jeremy Hamilton and Field each drove in two RBI's in the fourth inning to extend the WSU lead to 7-0.

Air Force got on the board in their half of the fourth inning, as Karl Bolt tripled and scored on an Addison Gentry single.

Wright State added another run in the sixth inning on a Sam Mote RBI single. The hit and RBI were the first of Mote's young career with the Raiders.

Kearcher was relieved to start the seventh inning. Kearcher threw six innings and allowed only one run on five hits. The senior issued only one walk and struck out six to improve to 2-1 on the season.

The Raiders added their ninth and final run in the eighth inning on an RBI single off the bat of Justin Parker.

After Kearcher, the Raiders used five pitchers to finish the contest. Jon Durket, Greg Robinson, Jason Bennion, Scott Ruthven and Nate Stevens combined to strike out two batters and allow only one run on two hits.

Oeder extended his hitting streak to ten games with a single in the second inning, before leaving the game in the fifth inning. Hamilton, Ramatowski and Shoup each collected a pair of doubles and Fields drove in three RBI in the contest.

With the victory, the Green and Gold swept a four-game, road series for the first time since 1997. That season the Raiders took four games from Butler, outscoring the Bulldogs 37-23 in the series.

The Raiders are now 6-4 overall and head into their Horizon League opener against Butler on a four-game winning streak. The Raiders and Bulldogs will kick off their series at Bulldog Park on Friday afternoon at 3:00.

Wright St. 60, No. 19 Butler 55 -- Wednesday, March 7 2007
FAIRBORN, Ohio (AP) -- DaShaun Wood was shocked when new Wright State coach Brad Brownell stood before his team for the first time and said the Raiders were going to the NCAA tournament.

Eleven months later, Wood helped make that wild prediction come true.

Wood scored 27 points and Will Graham hit four free throws in the last 12 seconds to lead the Raiders past No. 19 Butler 60-55 Tuesday night for the Horizon League postseason title and its second trip to the NCAA tournament.

"Coach came in from day one and said we could make it," Wood said while receiving high-fives and hugs on the crowded floor after the game. "All I know is we did make it. And nobody else thought it could be done."

Butler still looks like a solid bet to receive an at-large bid to its seventh trip to the NCAA tournament.

The Bulldogs have lost six of their last seven games at Wright State's Nutter Center -- ending a five-game skid with Saturday night's 67-66 overtime win over Loyola of Chicago.

"This was not neutral," Butler coach Todd Lickliter said. "Our guys maintained their poise for most of the time, but you have to do it all the time to win."

Wood helped turn the tide after Butler (27-6) had scrambled back from an eight-point deficit to take the lead in the final minutes.

With the score tied at 52-52 and 1:25 left, Butler's A.J. Graves drove to the basket but Wood blocked the shot from behind. Then at the other end, Wood curled off a pick and hit a 3-pointer from the right wing with 1:06 left for a 55-52 lead for Wright State (23-9).

"It's all so hard to believe," Wood said. "We fought for 40 minutes. We knew we would have to do that to win."

Brandon Crone, who led the Bulldogs with 18 points, scored inside off the inbounds pass to cut the lead to a point as hundreds of Wright State students crammed around the floor in expectation of a celebration.

The teams each hit a foul shot, before Graham was fouled with 11.6 seconds left. A 66-percent free-throw shooter, he made them both for a 58-55 lead.

"DaShaun came up to me before the first set and said, 'Hey, you've got two shots. You only have to make one.' He was trying to loosen me up. That took some of the weight off my shoulders," Graham said.

Graves, who had 12 points, then rushed the ball up the court but missed a 3-pointer while trying to draw a foul with 4.5 seconds left.

"I was just trying to push the ball up and see what the best shot was that we could get," he said. "I knew we needed a 3 and I knew we didn't have any timeouts left."

Graham again was fouled with 1.3 seconds left and poured in two more to clinch the win, touching off a wild rush to the floor by the students.

The Raiders got off to an abysmal start against the team they shared the regular-season title with but ended up winning for the 11th time in their last 12 games.

Two fans dressed like the Wright Brothers -- Fairborn is a suburb of Dayton, where the Wrights had their bicycle shop -- held up a sign that said, "Win One for Orville and Wilbur!"

Even though they were regular-season co-champs, Wright State won the top seed -- and the right to host the tournament -- by virtue of a tiebreaker. The teams split two earlier meetings.

"Our kids believed all along that we could win this game and that we were going to play well," said Brownell, who took North Carolina-Wilmington to the NCAAs last year for the second time in his four years as a head coach. "We just didn't know what it was going to come down to. In every huddle we told them to relax, stay calm, play the next play."

Burleson scored 15 points and Wilson had 10 for Wright State, which has won a national championship in basketball -- the 1983 Division II crown.

The Raiders' only previous trip to the NCAA tournament in their 20 years in Division I came in 1993, when they were pounded 97-54 by Indiana in the first round after capturing the Mid-Continent Conference tournament title.

The next NCAA challenge is an afterthought.

"We're not worried about the NCAAs for at least another 48 hours," Brownell said. "We're going to enjoy this with our fans."

Top seed Wright State advances to men's basketball title tilt -- Sunday, March 4 2007
FAIRBORN, Ohio (A0) -- DaShaun Wood scored 25 points, including five in a 7-0 second-half spurt, to lead Wright State past UW-Green Bay 67-51 in a Horizon League semifinal on Saturday night.

Scottie Wilson added 10 points for top-seeded Wright State (22-9), which won its 12th home game in a row.

Mike Schachtner led Wisconsin-Green Bay (18-15) with 17 points.

The Raiders will meet the team with which they shared the league's regular-season title, No. 18 Butler, in Tuesday's night's championship game. The winner gets the conference's automatic NCAA berth. The second-seeded Bulldogs (27-5) edged Loyola of Chicago 67-66 in overtime in the other semifinal.

After the Phoenix narrowed a 33-27 deficit at the half to three points, Drew Burleson had a tip-in, Wood hit a jumper and then added a 3-pointer to push the lead to 40-30.

UW-Green Bay got as close as six points before the Raiders then pulled away, going up by as many as 23 points in the final minutes.

The Phoenix shot just 37 percent from the field, hitting 3-of-18 3-pointers.

The Raiders are in the championship game under first-year coach Brad Brownell just a year after going 13-15 and losing in the first round of the conference tournament.
Notes and Quotes
No. 1 Wright State 67, No. 4 UW-Green Bay 51


Wright State Head Coach Brad Brownell
On the game:
"I was pleased with our play. It's a good win for our guys. We have been practicing for nine days and knew we were really ready. We improved through the week and it's nice to see the hard work rewarded. Green Bay was in a tough spot. They won some games this week, but they played us really well and maybe wore down a bit in the second half."


On DaShaun Wood
"That's where he has matured as a player. He recognizes what his needs are during each game, by half. What we need to do to attack or get others involved. He has matured as a player as to when to be aggressive as a player. He has more confidence in his teammates."


Wright State player DaShaun Wood
On the start:
"We had nine days off and did a lot of preparation. We wanted to come out with energy. The shots didn't fall early, but we had good looks."


On the defense vs. Evanochko:
"It was a team effort. Vaughn (Duggins) was on him all game We tried to make him take hard shots."


Wright State player Vaughn Duggins
On the defense vs. Evanochko:
"He's a great player and I respect him a lot. He didn't score a lot the game before. When he faced us, I tried to limit his assists and contain him. It worked out for us."


Wright State player Drew Burleson
On the atmosphere:
"This place is a totally different place when it's full. It's a great atmosphere to play in... to go in front of 9,000 fans."


On the chance to go to the NCAA Tournament:
"When you come to college, that's your main goal - to play in the NCAA Tournament. This is the most exciting time of the year. Just to be apart of it is extremely exciting."



UW-Green Bay Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk
On the game:
"It's a disappointing loss. I really felt we had a great deal of energy at the beginning. We took a few bad shots and played too with too much emotion of the game. It hurt us. The second half, we let it get away from us. DaSaun Wood played like the player of the year in the league."


On fatigue:
"I did. It's hard, this format, to play three straight game when they are off. We did not play well and they did."


On the zone defense:
"That was a reason. Fatigue was a reason. Our zone defense was good tonight. It forced them to take jump shots. I don't have regrets playing zone gains that team."


On this year and the future:
"We were the youngest team in the league this year. I think Ryan Evanochko did a great job keeping a young team together. The future of our program is very, very bright. We feel good about next year."


UWGB player Ryan Evanochko
On the season ending and the team's future:
"I was hoping to get to the tournament, but for the younger guys, it should leave a good taste in their mouths. They have something to work for. They have a feel for how this tournament is. This leaves a bad taste in the mouth because of how it ends, but gives you something to work on for the next year."


Notes: •

Wright State will face Butler in the Horizon League championship game Tuesday at 9 p.m. at the Nutter Center. The game will be telecast on ESPN. It will be the top two seeds meeting for the title for the 11th time in league history and the sixth since 1999. The top seed is 4-6 in the first 10 meetings. •
The Raiders are 10-14 in league tournaments, including 9-5 at the Nutter Center. •
It will be Wright State's second trip to the championship game. Their last visit was in the 1995 tournament, where they fell to Wisconsin-Green Bay, 73-59. They are looking for their first Horizon League crown and would go to the NCAA Division I tournament for the second time. (the first was in 1993 when they were in the Mid-Continent Conference). •
Wright State's 22 wins are the most in the school's Division I history. •
Wisconsin-Green Bay has appeared in the league's semifinals the last three years and has gone 0-3.

Barker and Oeder Honored With Weekly Awards -- Wednesday, February 28 2007
DAYTON, OH - The Wright State baseball team took two of three games from nationally-ranked Mississippi this past weekend and now two individuals were honored for their performances against the Rebels. Dan Barker was named the Horizon League's Pitcher of the Week and Ross Oeder was named to the College Baseball Foundation National Player of the Week Honor Roll.

Barker made the most of his first start as a Raider, throwing five shutout innings against #24 Mississippi. Barker held Ole Miss to three hits, all singles, in five innings of work to pick up his first win of 2007. Barker, who transferred from Ohio State after last season, threw the first complete game of the season for WSU in the 1-0 rain-shortened, five inning victory.

As for Oeder, he was named to the College Baseball Foundation's National Honor Roll "Player of the Week" list. The second baseman is the first Raiders to garner this honor and is the first Horizon League player named to the list in 2007. Oeder was one of 25 players named to the honor roll and was one of two second baseman, joining Tennessee's Danny Lima, on the list.

Oeder opened up the season with a stellar showing against one of the toughest rotations in the nation. Heading into the weekend, the Ole Miss pitching staff was holding batters to an average of .228 and was issuing only 2.7 walks per nine innings.

The senior posted a batting average of .444 (four-for-nine), walked three times and posted a slugging percentage of .889. Oeder smacked his first home run of the season, doubled, stole a base and posted nine assists in the three games.

Three Raiders Receive All-Horizon League Honors -- Monday, February 26 2007
INDIANAPOLIS - Three Wright State men's basketball players were honored as the Horizon League announced its postseason awards on Monday. Senior guard DaShaun Wood was voted the Horizon League's Player of the Year and was also selected to the All-Defensive Team while freshmen Vaughn Duggins and Todd Brown were each named to the All-Newcomer Team.

In a vote by media, sports information directors and head coaches, Wood, a candidate for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award for the best collegiate player under six foot, was chosen as the Player of the Year after averaging 19.4 points to lead the League in scoring. The 5-11 guard also was among the nation's leaders in free throw percentage (88.8%), steals (1.9 per game) and points per game. The Detroit native scored more than 30 points three times this season, including 30 points against nationally-ranked Butler on February 10, and has scored in double figures in 42 straight contests.

Wood joins WSU all-time scoring and rebounding leader Bill Edwards as the lone recipients of this type of honor as Edwards was named the Mid-Continent Player of the Year in 1993. He was also named the League's Player of the Week three different times this year and was named to the Hispanic College Fund Classic All-Tournament Team hosted by LSU in December.

Wood was also named for the second straight year to the League's Defensive Team as he led the conference in steals and ranked 17th in rebounding. The All-Defensive Team is voted on only by the nine head coaches in the League.

Duggins, a Pendleton, Indiana native, averaged 9.1 points per game while Brown, from Canton, Ohio, averaged 8.9 points through the season. The duo ranked second and third in threes made, behind Wood. Duggins was second on the team in minutes, assists and steals and was tied for ninth in the League in three-point percentage during conference play along with being ranked 11th in assists per game. Brown was 11th in three-point percentage during conference play, 12th in field goal percentage and 19th in scoring during conference play and 12th in field goal percentage.

With the two this season, Wright State has now had 12 All-Newcomer honorees since joining the Horizon League (Midwestern Collegiate Conference) in 1995.

The Raiders ended the regular-season with a 21-9 record, tying the 1989-90 squad (21-7) for the most wins since WSU joined the NCAA Division I ranks in the 1987-88 season. The co-Champion title was the first conference crown for any Raider basketball team.

By virtue of tie breakers, the Raiders will host the Horizon League Tournament Friday and Saturday night. Wright State plays in the semifinals on Saturday, March 3, at 7 pm. The game can be seen live on ESPNU and heard with Chris Collins and Bob Grote on WONE, 980 AM, WIZE, 1340 AM, and at wsuraiders.com.

For more information, go to horizonleague.org.

2006-07 Men's Basketball All-Horizon League Teams

First Team
DaShaun Wood, Sr., G, Wright State
A.J. Graves, Jr., G, Butler
Blake Schilb, Sr., G, Loyola
Quin Humphrey, Sr., G, Youngstown State
Othyus Jeffers, Jr., F, UIC

Second Team
Mike Green, Jr., G, Butler
Brandon Cotton, Sr., G, Detroit
Ryvon Covile, Sr., C, Detroit
Ryan Evanochko, Sr., G, UW-Green Bay
Mike Schachner, So., F, UW-Green Bay

All-Newcomer Team
Pete Campbell, So., F, Butler
Mike Green, Jr., G, Butler
Paige Paulsen, Jr., F, UW-Milwaukee
Todd Brown, Fr., G, Wright State
Vaughn Duggins, Fr., G, Wright State

All-Defensive Team
Ryvon Covile, Sr., C, Detroit
Majak Kou, Sr., G, Loyola
Scott VanderMeer, So., C, UIC
Terry Evans, So., F, UW-Green Bay
DaShaun Wood, Sr., G, Wright State

Player of the Year: DaShaun Wood, Sr., G, Wright State
Newcomer of the Year: Mike Green, Jr., G, Butler
Coach of the Year: Todd Lickliter, Butler

Baseball Takes Series From #24 Mississippi, Winning Finale 5-2 -- Monday, February 26 2007
OXFORD, MS - The Wright State baseball team won the series finale over #24 Mississippi 5-3 on Sunday afternoon in Oxford. The Raiders took two of three games from the Rebels and won their first season-opening series since 1995. Kyle Kearcher picked up the win and WSU collected three extra-base hits in the victory.

The Rebels capitalized in on two Raider errors in the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. The lead-off hitter reached on a fielding error by Raider shortstop Justin Parker, advanced to third on a single and scored on a Zack Cozart sacrifice fly to center field.

The Raiders put runners on the corners in the second inning as Aaron Field sent a one-out single back up the middle and moved to third on a Casey McGrew single through the left side. UM starter Brett Bukvich retired the next two WSU batters, though, and escaped the inning unscathed.

Wright State again threatened in the fourth inning, but Bukvich again escaped a tight situation. Parker laced a one-out single through the left side, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Bukvich struck out the next two batters.

The Raiders broke through in the fifth, however, with a two-out rally. Ross Oeder and Dan Biedenharn were each walked and Oeder moved to third on a stolen base. Jeremy Hamilton then took a two-ball, two-strike offering over the right field fence for his first hit of the season.

Parker drove the first strike of the sixth inning down the left field line for his first home run of the season and pushed the Raider lead to 4-1. Casey McGrew and Gerald Ogrinc then singled, chasing Bokvich after 5.2 innings of work. Cody Satterwhite came on in relief and after waking Oeder, enticed Biedenharn to fly out to right, ending the threat.

Ole Miss answered in its half of the sixth inning when Cozart doubled and later scored on a C.J. Ketchum double to left field, cutting the Raider lead in half. Kearcher got a ground ball out and then struck out the final batter of the inning to preserve the margin.

In his first outing since April 11 of last season, Kearcher threw six innings and allowed two runs, one earned, while striking out four batters. Kearcher picked up his first win of the season, holding UM to only five hits and allowing only four base runners to pass second base.

The Raiders added a run in the ninth as a throwing error by the UM third baseman put Biedenharn on second base and he scored as Hamilton doubled to left field.

Jason Bennion came on to relive Kearcher in the seventh and threw three scoreless innings. Bennion allowed two hits, walked one and struck two batters to pick up his first save of his career.

The offense was led by Hamilton's two-for-five performance, including a homer and a double. The sophomore drove in four RBI and scored a run. McGrew and Parker each collected two hits and Biedenharn scored two runs in the game.

The Green and Gold will have the week off before returning to action on March 2 at 7:30 Dayton time against Tulane. The Raiders and Green Wave will square off in a three-game series at Zephyr Field in New Orleans.

Men Finish First, Women Third at Horizon League Swimming & Diving Championships -- Monday, February 26 2007
CHICAGO - The Wright State men placed first and the women third as the Horizon League Swimming and Diving Championships concluded Saturday night at the UIC Natatorium in Chicago.

Leading the way for the Raiders on the men's side were Scott Lang, who won the 1650 free (15:42.04), and Aaron Eckstein, who won the 200 back (1:49.03). Second-place finishers included Nathan Demchuk in the 1650 free (15:43.90), Rafael Candido in the 100 free (45.03), Ryan Klasmeier in the 200 fly (1:50.30) and the 400 free relay team of Micah Belew, Zach Fisher, T.J. Collins and Candido (3:02.53). The men won their first title since 2005 and claimed their eighth conference title overall.

On the women's side, Catalina Martinez won her third straight Horizon League title in the 1650 free (17:14.34) while Brittiany Czoch was second in the 200 fly (2:08.88). Third-place finishers included Amanda Mueller in the 200 back (2:06.98), Mabel Fernandez in the 100 free (52.01) and the 400 free relay team of Vicky Tafur, Mabel Fernandez, Kelsey Cooper and Kassie Schmidt (3:30.13).

Wright State received two postseason honors as Lang was named the Horizon League Swimmer of the Meet while Sion Brinn was selected as the Horizon League Men's Swimming Coach of the Year.

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Final Team Scores

Men
1) Wright State, 782
2) Cleveland State, 700.5
3) UW-Milwaukee, 622
4) UIC, 547.5
5) UW-Green Bay, 519
6) Butler, 219

Women
1) UW-Green Bay, 845
2) UW-Milwaukee, 832.5
3) Wright State, 737.5
4) UIC, 480
5) Youngstown State, 252.5
6) Cleveland State, 218.5
7) Butler, 157

Men's Basketball Earns Top Seed; Will Host Horizon League Tournament Games -- Friday, February 23 2007
The Wright State men's basketball team has earned the top seed in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament and will host second round games on Friday, March 2, and the semifinals on Saturday, March 3 at the Ervin J. Nutter Center.

The Raiders clinched the top seed Thursday (despite their loss to Youngstown) as Loyola defeated Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse 75-71. As a result, the Ramblers, who had already clinched the third seed, will take on Tuesday's #6/#7 winner on Friday, March 2, at 6:00 followed by the #4/#9 winner taking on the #5/#8 winner at 8:00.

On Saturday, the winner of the Loyola/6-7 game will face #2 seed Butler at 5:00 followed the Raiders taking on the 4-9/5-8 winner at 7:00. Both of Saturday's games can be seen live on ESPNU.

The championship game is set for Tuesday, March 6, at 9:00 Eastern at the site of the highest remaining seed. That game can be seen live on ESPN.

More information, including tickets, will be released in the coming days.

Men and Women Remain In First After Day 2 -- Friday, February 23 2007
CHICAGO, IL - The Wright State men's and women's swimming and diving teams are each in first place after day two of competition at the Horizon League Championships. Each squad posted a win in the 500 Freestyle event and the men's team posted second place finish in the 400 Medley Relay at the UIC Natatorium.

The Green and Gold got day two started on the right foot, as Mabel Fernandez posted a victory in the 500 Freestyle in a time of 5:01.34. Fernandez took the lead half-way through the race and held off teammate Catalina Martinez for the event victory. Matinez placed second and Vicki Taufer placed fourth for the Green and Gold

In the first men's event, Scott Lang took control from the starting blocks, leading throughout, on his way to a time of 4:29.34. Ryan Klasmeier and Nathan Demchuk placed sixth and seventh respectively to keep the Raiders lead in tack.

On the women's side, Jessica Weidert placed third in the 200 IM and the Raiders finished third in the 400 Medley Relay. The men's team placed second in the 400 Medley, while Zach Fisher finished second and Rafael Candido placed fourth in the 50 Freestyle.

Day three of the Horizon League Swimming and Diving Championships will start on Thursday morning at 10:30 on the campus of UIC. Events to be competed are the women's one-meter diving competition, the 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke and 800 Freestyle Relay.


Men's Team Score
1. Wright State 301
2. Cleveland State 268.5
3. UIC 226.5
4. UW-Milwaukee 210
5. UW-Green Bay 191
6. Butler 121

Women's Team Scores
1. Wright State 324.5
2. UW-Milwaukee 313.5
3. UW-Green Bay 294
4. UIC 210
T5. Youngstown State 97
T5. Cleveland State 97
7. Butler 55