The Raiders dropped their second straight game, losing 86-82. And second-half defense was the culprit each time.
They surrendered 59 points after halftime to EMU and 45 in an 80-70 loss to Youngstown State earlier in the week.
First-year coach Clint Sargent pointed to some frustrations among the players after the YSU loss, and it seems as if that internal strife is still an issue.
“There’s something going on with our team that’s absolutely my job to address. We had a week off after that Marshall win (Dec. 11), and I felt very good about where our team was at. But something’s crept into our locker room and splintered our chemistry,” Sargent said on his post-game radio show.
“You think back to that team we had at Myrtle Beach to the team we have now, and my message to my team is I joyfully take on these trials with these men. I embrace it. It’s my job to find a second-half defense that can work. But the film is out there that you can just bully us.”
EMU (6-5) scored on 15 of its last 17 possessions of the game and took an 84-77 lead with 57 seconds left after a 3 by Arne Osojnik
But the Raiders didn’t go quietly. A Logan Woods 3 made it 85-82 with 37 seconds to go.
They forced a turnover, but Solomon Callaghan and Logan Woods each missed potential game-tying 3′s.
The ball was knocked out of bounds with 11 seconds to go, but the Raiders retained possession.
A 3 by Alex Huibregtse rattled out, and the Raiders were forced to foul after that.
Wright State (7-7) finished the first half on an 11-0 run in final 3:16 — making 5 of 6 shots and forcing three turnovers — to build a 38-27 lead.
But EMU started the second-half on a 15-2 surge in a five-minute span — the visitors made only 1 of 5 shots and had two turnovers — to take a 42-40 lead. And it stayed tight the rest of the way.
Brandon Noel had 17 points and eight rebounds (despite playing only nine minutes in the first half because of foul trouble).
Jack Doumbia had 21 points, going 7-of-9 from the field and 7 of 9 on foul shots. He also had four steals but committed six turnovers.
Huibregtse had 14 points, going 4 of 9 on 3′s, and Logan Woods had 10 points, going 2 of 3 from the arc.
“It’s a long season, and I’m going to wrap my arms around these guys and love on them and challenge them, and we’ll get better from it. But this is as low to this point as we’ve been,” Sargent said.
NEXT GAME
Sunday, Dec. 29
Wright State at Cleveland State, 3 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
About the Author