“We kind of had a two-fer,” she said, meaning she told her team in the timeout to get the ball to either Layne Ferrell or Alexis Hutchison and let them do their thing.
“Luckily, we have two players you can go to at any moment and feel like they can make the plays — even when you don’t draw up something specific for them.”
Hutchison scored on a layup for a one-point lead with 17 seconds left, and the Raiders scored the last eight points in OT for an 80-77 win at Robert Morris on Sunday.
They improved to 9-6 overall and 3-1 in the Horizon League with a pair of road wins over the weekend.
They’ve already surpassed last year’s win total when they finished 8-24. And it’s the first time they’ve achieved a two-game sweep away from home in Hoffman’s three years.
Ferrell, a transfer from Akron, had 25 points, going 8 of 12 from the field, 4 of 8 on 3′s and 5 of 5 on foul shots.
“She is just Miss Consistent. When she walks in the gym, we know what we’re getting every day. She’s easy to coach, super positive, does anything the team needs,” Hoffman said.
“What people don’t know — and maybe they’re starting to see — is her ability to defend.”
The 6-foot-2 guard from Franklin had three blocks and is second in the Horizon League with 24.
“She can defend any position. That made the difference for us,” the coach said.
Hutchison leads the league in scoring with a 19.3 average. Ferrell is eighth at 12.5 per game.
“I said to one of our players walking back to the locker room: ‘Winning is fun.’ She’s a returner from last year, and she just said, ‘We were just talking about how much fun it is,’” Hoffman said.
“A lot of these returners and transfers have been through a lot of losses. It’s really satisfying that they’re able to experience the joy of winning.”
Hutchison had 14 points and 10 rebounds against Robert Morris, and the 5-7 guard from Centerville had 26 points in an 82-68 win at Youngstown State on Friday. She went 9 of 15 from the field and 8 of 8 on foul shots.
There are three undefeated teams in the HL: Green Bay (3-0), Purdue Fort Wayne (3-0) and Detroit Mercy (2-0), who all play on New Year’s Day.
“To make the plays when it mattered most and to compete every game — that’s more important than the standings this time of year. There’s so much Horizon League play left,” Hoffman said.
“Obviously, to win the games you feel like you’re supposed to, that’s a great start.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
Milwaukee at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+
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