Coach Clint Sargent’s critique, though, started with himself.
Everyone on the staff has a specific role in practice and on game night, and his is being the overseer of his players’ competitive spirit.
“I have to have a good feel for our team, when I need to be fiery, when I need to be on them and hold them accountable. And I just didn’t have enough of a presence to me in the first half,” said Sargent, who notched his first career coaching win.
“I own that. It’s an everyday thing. They know when I’m on, and they know when I’m lacking. I just felt I wasn’t great for them at the start.”
The Raiders (1-1) ramped up the defense over the final 20 minutes, turning a 43-38 halftime lead into an 89-60 victory Wednesday.
Alex Huibregtse had 22 points and five assists, and Brandon Noel had 18 points and nine rebounds.
The Raiders, who made 11 of their first 14 shots after halftime, finished 33 of 57 (57.9%).
“We definitely needed something to get us going,” said sub Jack Doumbia, who had eight points on 4-of-4 shooting. “We’re about to go to Miami (on Saturday), and it’s good to go into that game with a win under your belt.
“What did we win by? 40? 30? It should have been something like that in the first half, and we just got back to who we are.”
Chapman Faulkner, a senior from East Dayton Christian School, had 13 of his 15 points in the first half, including nine in a 75-second span (two 3′s and three foul shots).
He scored 18 points in the team’s first two games, wins over Boyce College and Welch College.
For Sargent, even against a lower-division squad, getting a win at the Nutter Center was significant.
The Raiders had pedestrian 9-7 and 9-6 home records the last two years, and they heard a few murmurs from the crowd of 2,990 over their lethargic first-half play.
“We’ve really made it a point that we want to win at home. We’ve been average at best here the last couple years,” Sargent said.
“Working through those lulls and handling (the pressure) when everybody in the arena knows, ‘This isn’t going well’ — and responding to that doubt was good for us.
“It wasn’t how I wanted to start the game. But I’m very happy with how our guys responded.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Wright State at Miami, 1 p.m., 101.5, 1410
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