Sargent went back to a smaller lineup to start the second half, putting 6-6 Andrea Holden and 6-5 Sam Alamutu at the post. And the Raiders went on a 9-0 run to turn a 40-34 lead into a 15-point bulge on the way to an 86-58 victory Sunday.
“The ability to be deep, one, you have to have the players to do it, but they have to have the heart to ALLOW that to happen,” Sargent said.
“I talk about these guys’ hearts a lot, but it’s real. When it’s their turn to have to sacrifice, they never withhold from their teammates. They’re very, very willing to still be about the team. And that’s why we can play 11 guys.”
Freshman Michael Cooper scored a season-high 23 points with four assists and two steals for the Raiders (5-5 overall, 1-1 in the Horizon League).
Michael Imariagbe had 14 on 7-of-7 shooting and Logan Woods 13.
Dom Pangonis had 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds. And TJ Burch had five steals, padding his league-leading 3.0 average.
Asked about the heavy subbing, Cooper said: “I think that’s one of our biggest strengths — how deep we are. I feel like he trusts everyone on our roster to go out and play at any point in the game.
“Just having that trust motivates us to empty the tank, knowing the guys behind us are going to do the exact same thing.”
The Raiders rebounded nicely from a crushing 69-68 loss at HL contender Youngstown State.
“I thought Youngstown, in terms of our compete and our intensity, was good. We just didn’t win the margins (rebounding, get to the foul line, etc.), and tonight we did. I’ve just seen two pretty complete games,” Sargent said.
Green Bay isn’t the 4-28 disaster it was last year in the maiden season of Doug Gottlieb, who caught major flak for keeping his daily FOX Sports radio show while also coaching. He vowed to “dial back” on game days in year two.
The Phoenix, picked 11th in the league poll, brought a 4-6 record to the Nutter Center with an overtime win at Minnesota and solid mid-major conquests of Iona and UMass.
What that means is the Raiders’ victory belongs in the “good win” box, not in the bin with teams it’s supposed to beat (hello, Ohio Wesleyan).
They finish the non-league season at Marshall on Saturday and with home games against Miami on Dec. 16 and Eastern Michigan on Dec. 22.
FAMED TEAM HONORED: The Bob Grote-led Raiders from 1975-76 were recognized during the second half on the 50th anniversary of making the program’s first NCAA appearance.
The Division-II powerhouse was a perfect 14-0 at home and had another future Wright State Hall of Famer on the roster in forward Bob Schaefer.
Next game
Who: Wright State at Marshall
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410-AM, 101.5-FM
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