Wright State Lake Men's Basketball went into Rio Grande with a chip on their shoulder Friday night, and battled each posssession with the Red Storm. Unfortunately the Lakers fell short on the scoreboard 109-99.

How it Happened: The short handed Lakers came into the came with 7 healthy players, and caught the Red Storm by surprise early. Gil Carter started off the game with a 3 pointer to take an early lead. Wes Bellegarde in his first collegiate start nailed his first two triples to pace the offense. At the 17 minute mark Gil Carter through a pass off the backboard for Bellegarde to dunk it on 2 Red Storm defenders. With 15 to go Coach Richard Westerlund picked up a technical after a tough no call on Carter, after the technical the score stood 29-20. Gil Carter exploded after that technical and could not be stopped. Carter was hot the entire first half scoring 29 of his 34 points in the half. The Red Storm had trouble staying front of Carter and Vonzell Groom. 

The Lakers pressure bothered the Red Storm, but Red Storm used the Laker foul trouble against them. The best offense for Rio Grande was on the offensive glass. After the first half the score stood 58-57.

In the second half the Lakers controlled much of the second half behind the play of Vonzell Groom. Tyler Daniel was plagued with foul trouble in the second half which limited his effectiveness on the offensive end. The last 3 minutes was a one possession game going back and forth, unfortunately for the Lakers they missed their last 8 free throw attempts, which opened up the door for Rio Grande to hit a tough contested 3 at the end of the shot clock that ultimately did Wright State Lake in. 

By the Numbers: Wright State Lake turned the Red Storm over 20 times for 10 steals... Gil Carter poured in 34 points... Vonzell Groom chipped in 20 points and 5 assists. Wes Bellegarde had 21 points on 5/10 from three. Red Storm grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and held a 51-27 rebounding advantage over the Lakers.

What Coach Says: Coach Richard Westerlund said, "I am immensely proud of the way our guys competed. The Rio Grande staff was extremely complimentary of how hard our guys competed. I felt the whole team dynamic changed after my technical. It woke us up, and I think it let everyone know we weren't going to roll over." Westerlund also said, "Gil, Wes, and Zel were amazing tonight. Particularly Gil in the first half. No one could guard him. We need to do a better job of finishing possessions and finishing the game, but I am pleased. This is how I thought this team could play all along. We will continue to embrace the process."