No. 2 Wright State plays Monday afternoon in the semifinals against the winner of Sunday’s quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 Detroit Mercy and No. 6 Cleveland State.
“We try to keep it simple and the game plan is always the same,” Merriweather said. “Hold people under 55 points, win the boards and have less than 12 turnovers. The game plan is never complicated.”
The Raiders forced UIC into 27 turnovers while committing 11. The difference led to Wright State getting 15 more shots than the Flames. While UIC ultimately won the rebounding battle 37-34, the Raiders turned 16 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points.
“A lot of times we emphasize our defense creating our offense,” Wright State junior Chelsea Welch said. “It helps to have pressure defense where we’re creating a trap. We can throw the ball upcourt, get in transition and do great things.”
Welch led four players in double figures with 18 points while Emily Vogelpohl added 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Welch and Vogelpohl combined for nine of Wright State’s 13 steals.
The Raiders (24-7) won both of their regular-season games against the Flames by an average of 10 points and looked on the verge of another tight battle before they used a 15-2 run to open a close game. Lexi Smith scored four straight points during the run to push the lead to double figures later in the first quarter and Wright State never looked back.
Smith finished with 12 points and seven rebounds while Symone Simmons had 11 points and five rebounds.
“I’m really proud of these girls in putting together a great team effort,” Merriweather said. “The goal is always survive and advance.”
Saturday’s game marked Wright State’s first contest in the neutral-site tournament at Joe Louis Arena. The Horizon League has long held its women’s tournament at the home site of the regular-season champion, which has usually resulted in the Raiders traveling to Green Bay. Merriweather didn’t hesitate to praise the move to Detroit despite the fact Wright State could end up playing Detroit Mercy on Monday.
“I just love it because it’s a tournament,” Merriweather said. “That’s the most awesome part. The kids walk in the locker room and they get conference gifts and their names are on the lockers. It’s all about the student-athlete experience. The idea that we get to watch our men’s team play (on Sunday), that’s great. There’s just a lot of positives to it.”
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