After a relatively close opening seven minutes, they outscored their hosts, 30-2, over the next six-plus minutes, storming to a 44-9 advantage on their way to a 90-51 Horizon League victory Friday night.
The Raiders (7-1, 5-0) made 11 of 14 shots in that stretch — including two 3-pointers by Tim Finke and one each by Jaylon Hall, Grant Basile and Alex Huibregtse — while the Grizzlies were going through a 1-of-11 spell.
The preseason league favorites shot a modest 45% in the first half while settling for a 49-21 lead, but they had a whopping 37-16 rebounding advantage and held their hosts to 21.2% shooting.
They finished 46.5% from the field and with a 61-37 edge on the glass in posting their most lopsided win since a 106-66 thrashing of IUPUI last season.
They’ve won seven straight games and opened league play with a 5-0 record for the second straight season. Their longest winning streak in five years under coach Scott Nagy is eight in 2017-18.
The Grizzlies (2-10, 2-3), picked to finish sixth in the 12-team conference, had beaten Detroit in two close games last weekend. But they dropped a 96-69 decision to the Raiders at home last season.
Tanner Holden and Finke had 11 points apiece in the first half, while Loudon Love had 10 points and eight rebounds.
In their previous two first halves against Green Bay at home, the Raiders had scored 36 and a season-low 23 points.
Nine of 10 healthy scholarship players saw action in the first half, and the 10th — redshirt freshman Andre Harris — popped off the bench with 8:30 left in the game.
Holden, the reigning conference player of the week, finished with 24 points and eight rebounds. He’s taken over the team scoring lead with a 16.4 average, just ahead of Love’s 15.3.
Finke had 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Love also had his fifth double-double this season with 12 and 11.
The Raiders held Rashad Williams, a preseason second-team all-league pick, to zero points. He missed all nine of his shots, including seven 3′s.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Wright State at Oakland, 5 p.m., ESPN+, 106.5
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