But the Raiders could make only 10 of 35 first-half shots, fell behind by 12 at halftime and dropped a 66-62 decision.
They’ll have another chance to claim the crown Saturday against the visiting Phoenix. But they may have already clinched at least a share of the title — though it’s hard to say for sure since the race is close and the contenders have played differing amounts of games.
Wright State is still in first at 15-4 with one game to go, while Green Bay is 13-4.
Milwaukee was 13-5 going into a late afternoon game at UIC, while IUPUI can’t improve on its 11-3 mark since its final two games against Detroit Mercy were cancelled (the Titans opted out of their season in mid-January).
Given the unbalanced schedules, the league may ultimately have to sort it out.
Raiders coach Katrina Merriweather said she didn’t know where her team stood, but she added: “I have to be honest and ask, ‘Did that rough start have anything to do with all this talk and pressure around being in first place?’
“We don’t make excuses, but the reality is we have two freshmen point guards and a newcomer at forward. I may have underestimated the impact that could have on them.”
Junior guard Angel Baker, a first-team all-league pick last season, scored a season-high 29 points, going 6 of 13 on 3′s while continuing her late-season rampage. She’s averaged 21.9 points in the last seven games.
Backcourt mate Emani Jefferson, a two-time HL freshman of the week selection, chipped in 12 points.
The Raiders (15-6 overall) shrunk the deficit to 48-43 after three quarters and made it a two-point game early in the fourth period.
But after a Baker bucket at 8:33, they didn’t score again for more than four minutes, allowing the Phoenix (14-6), who have won five straight games, to push the lead back to 10.
The Raiders, though, had one last charge, cutting it to 62-60 on a Tyler Frierson basket with 45 seconds left.
After Baker answered a Phoenix layup with a jumper with 25 seconds left, Caitlyn Hibner, who had a team-high 19 points, made a pair of free throws with 18 seconds to go for a 66-62 edge.
“We just missed a lot of shots we normally make,” said Merriweather, whose team went 22 of 63 (34.9%) from the field.
“Our post players usually turn in a box score of 7 for 10 and 8 for 12. A lot of credit goes to Green Bay’s interior defense. We usually beat people up in the paint, and we lost that battle 30-22. They clogged it up for our perimeter players, too. We got started a little too late.”
While Green Bay won or shared 20 straight regular-season crowns from 1998-99 to 2017-18, Wright State is a relative newcomer to league races, having won its first title in 2016-17 (Merriweather’s first year) and another in 2018-19.
“This is a tough group of kids. They’ve been through a lot in the last 10 months. For them to fight to be in this position — it would be untrue if I told you I thought this team would be sitting in first place at any point during the season with the interruptions we’ve had and the youth we have in some important positions,” Merriweather said.
As for her message to the team, she said: “We’ll meet in the morning and make adjustments and roll that ball out and try again — and emphasize getting off to a better start than we did today.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Green Bay at Wright State, 2 p.m., ESPN+
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