FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Interstat) — In a gritty, defensive-minded Horizon League clash that came down to the final seconds, Solomon Callaghan’s 24 points led Wright State to a 74-70 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday night at Gates Sports Center.

The Raiders, who led by as many as 13 points in the second half, weathered a furious comeback attempt by the Mastodons, who clawed back from a double-digit deficit to tie the game late before Wright State executed in the final minute to secure the win.

The most critical sequence unfolded in the game’s closing moments. With Wright State clinging to a 67-65 lead and 38 seconds remaining, Purdue Fort Wayne’s Corey Hadnot drove and was fouled on a three-point attempt by Wright State’s Dominic Pangonis. Hadnot, who led all scorers with 26 points, calmly sank all three free throws to give the Mastodons a 68-67 advantage, their first lead since the opening minutes of the game.

Wright State immediately inbounded and found Callaghan, who was fouled by Mikale Stevenson with 24 seconds left. The Raiders’ guard, who had been in a recent scoring slump, stepped to the line and made both free throws to put Wright State back ahead 69-68.

On the ensuing possession, DeAndre Craig was fouled for Purdue Fort Wayne and made the first of two free throws to tie the game at 69 with 19 seconds left. He missed the second, but the Mastodons retained possession on an offensive rebound. Hadnot then missed a driving layup that was blocked by Michael Imariagbe, and a scramble for the loose ball resulted in a held ball, with the possession arrow favoring Wright State with 13 seconds to play.

The Mastodons were forced to foul, sending Callaghan back to the line with 13 seconds on the clock. He again sank both attempts, pushing the lead to 71-69. Purdue Fort Wayne’s final chance to tie or take the lead ended when Hadnot’s deep three-point attempt missed with five seconds left. Craig was fouled on the rebound and made one free throw to cut the lead to 71-70, but Wright State’s Michael Cooper was fouled on the inbound and made both free throws with two seconds left to seal the four-point victory.

The game was a tale of two halves defined by shooting efficiency. Wright State built a 31-26 halftime lead by holding Purdue Fort Wayne to just 5-of-22 shooting from three-point range for the game. The Raiders, meanwhile, connected on 9 of 19 from beyond the arc. While both teams committed 12 turnovers, Wright State’s defense was more disruptive, recording six blocks and six steals, led by Imariagbe and Andrea Holden with three blocks each.

Beyond Callaghan’s scoring outburst, Wright State received a significant boost from Logan Woods, who scored 16 points off the bench. Hadnot’s 26 points and eight assists paced Purdue Fort Wayne, while Craig added 19 points.

With the win, Wright State improved to 19-11 overall and strengthened its position in the Horizon League standings. Purdue Fort Wayne fell to 16-14. The game was played before a crowd of 2,492.

The victory completed a regular-season sweep for the Raiders, who also defeated the Mastodons 73-68 on Feb. 7. Wright State next travels to face Northern Kentucky on Saturday. Purdue Fort Wayne will visit IU Indy the same day.