Facing highly regarded Princeton in their Myrtle Beach Invitational opener, the Raiders hit 12 of their first 20 attempts from 3 and finished 12 of 23 in a dominating 80-62 victory.
Junior forward Brandon Noel had 27 points and nine rebounds, going 7 of 11 from the field and 11 of 11 on foul shots, and sophomore wing Logan Woods, who went 5 of 6 from 3, had a career-high 18 points.
Junior point guard Keaton Norris also topped his previous career highs in points and assists, finishing with 11 and eight. He was 3 of 6 from 3.
“They have a winning fabric and they’ve been places I want to go,” Sargent said on his post-game radio show, referring to the Tigers upsetting No. 2 seed Arizona in the 2023 NCAA tourney (along with making NIT trips in 2022 and last season).
“We’ve touched it in the past, and we have a group of kids that can play like that and step into that kind of arena. I’m so very, very proud of our guys.”
Shooting 29.4% from 3 through the first five games, the Raiders (4-2) jumped out to a 13-point lead in the first 8:26 and led by 20 late in the first half.
The Tigers (4-2), after quickly falling behind by 22 in the second half, could never get closer than 13.
Senior wing Jack Doumbia, in his first year at Wright State, had eight points and 12 rebounds off the bench.
The Raiders won the board battle, 40-26, and made 16 of 20 free throws.
They’ll play Bradley (4-1) in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday.
“For our group, it’s a matter of buying into the defensive end of the floor and seeing how much that gives you confidence to go play offense freely — because you’re not playing from behind,” Sargent said.
“You can feel that pressure when you can’t get stops. But if we can flip that and get stops, it gives our guys the ability, emotionally and mentally, to play well on offense. This team has that capability to jump on people.”
Princeton (4-2), which has won the last three Ivy League regular-season titles (and was the preseason favorite to make it four in a row), hit only 10 of 31 shots in the first half (32.3%) and finished 20 of 57 (35.1%).
Wright State hit 14 of 26 in the first half (53.8%) and finished 26 of 49 (53.1%).
In the other first-round games, Middle Tennessee beat Ohio, 83-81; South Florida knocked off Portland, 74-68; and Bradley handled Texas State, 82-68.
FRIDAY’S GAME
Wright State vs. Bradley, 5 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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