Wright State beats Bryant 93-82 for NCAA Tournament win

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Tanner Holden had 37 points and 11 rebounds and Wright State beat Bryant 93-82 on Wednesday night for its first NCAA Tournament victory.

Playing inside the University of Dayton Arena just 12 miles from its home court, Wright State (22-13) advanced to play top-seeded Arizona in San Diego on Friday in the West Region.

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"It was a frantic-paced game," Wright State coach Scott Nagy said. "We haven’t had many teams this year come at us like that just after every make and miss and turnover."

Bryant guard Peter Kiss, center right, drives past Wright State's Grant Basile (0) during the first half of a First Four game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Wednesday, March 16, 2022 (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Holden was 11 of 15 from the field. Tyler Calvin added 21 points, and Grant Basile had 14.

Peter Kiss, the NCAA’s leading scorer, led Bryant (22-10) with 28 points.

"Our guys played hard enough to win, we just didn’t play well enough to win," Bryant coach Jared Grasso said.

The Raiders led 44-42 at halftime behind 20 points from Holden.

Both teams were seeded 16th.

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GUARDING THE NATION’S BEST

Kiss entered the game averaging 25.1 points per game.

Wright State guard Tim Finke drew the assignment of guarding Kiss. Finke forced Kiss to make four turnovers and shoot below his season average of 45.6% from the field.

"Tim’s a fantastic defender. We’ve known that all year," Basile said. "He made him work for it."

HOLDEN’S HOT HAND

Holden made a season-high 14 free throws, including a perfect 8-for-8 clip in the first half. He finished just one point shy of tying his