Eastern Wayne Today

The Wayne State University men's basketball team faced a narrow defeat against Roosevelt in their first-ever meeting on Monday night. Despite leading 60-58 with just over two minutes left in the game, Wayne State fell short as Roosevelt outscored them 9-3 in the final stretch, resulting in a 67-63 loss at the Fieldhouse.

In the first half, both teams exchanged leads multiple times. Wayne State's largest lead was five points, while Roosevelt never led by more than one until they initiated a 10-2 run to pull ahead by seven. The Warriors narrowed the gap to five points before heading into halftime trailing 33-27. Wayne State struggled with shooting, making only 32.3 percent of their shots compared to Roosevelt's 44.4 percent.

The second half saw Roosevelt extend their lead to as much as 13 points twice before Wayne State mounted a comeback. A strong performance from four Warriors helped regain the lead briefly at 51-50 after a 17-3 run. However, despite another push that put them ahead by five points later in the half, Roosevelt tied the game and eventually secured victory with a late surge.

Wayne State shot 39.7 percent overall and only managed to convert 13.8 percent from three-point range. They did win the rebounding battle and had more assists but struggled with turnovers compared to their opponent.

Carlos Paull III recorded his fourth career double-double for Wayne State with 13 points and a personal best of 14 rebounds. Rob Lee Jr., Tamario Adley, and Paull III all scored in double figures for the Warriors.

For Roosevelt, Enari Thomas led all scorers with 29 points, followed by Fred Robinson IV who added 16 points.

Wayne State will next play against Purdue Northwest on Thursday night in Hammond, Indiana.