Sargent said the Raiders know what issues they need to fix to get to 100 percent and hold onto first place in the Horizon League standings as they try for the program’s first regular-season title in five years.
The main one is something many youthful rosters struggle with: streaky shooting.
The Raiders (16-10, 11-4) built a 25-17 lead in the first half of a loss on Thursday against Detroit Mercy but shot 3 for 11 from the floor over about the last six minutes, when they were outscored 23-9.
The Titans pushed their lead to 12 early in the second half, but then Wright State had one of those strong pockets of play Sargent referenced. Freshman guard Michael Cooper scored 10 consecutive points over a stretch in the second half to help build a 66-65 lead.
The Raiders stretched it to seven, but finished with another cold stretch. Detroit Mercy, which hadn’t won at the Nutter Center since 2013, finished with a 12-2 run over the last 4:45, during which Wright State shot 1 for 6 from the floor.
“That’s the part as a coach and a staff, we’ve got to figure out how do we drive the consistency of this team, whether it’s who is playing or when they’re playing,” Sargent said. “We have a deep team, and that can kind of be a blessing and a curse in terms of seeing who’s ready, who’s not, what fits, what’s working.”
Sargent said he didn’t think the team was aggressive enough offensively against the Titans’ strong post play. The Raiders lost the rebounding battle 37-32; it was the first time they were outrebounded since they edged Detroit Mercy 84-82 on the road on Jan. 9.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“Most people who get to this point, in my experience, can tend to get passive and they want to protect (first place),” Sargent said. “You don’t win by hoping the other team makes a mistake. You win by going and taking a game.”
Thursday’s loss was the second in three games for the Raiders, who have maintained sole possession of first place thanks to second-place Oakland (14-12, 10-5) losing two in a row.
Wright State has five games left, starting with a trip to Cleveland State on Sunday afternoon. The Vikings won the teams’ first matchup 85-79 on Jan. 21.
Cleveland State (10-16) has lost two straight after winning five in a row. They made 47.8 percent (11-of-13) 3-pointers in the Jan. 21 matchup while the Raiders made 20.8 percent.
Credit: Bryant Billing
“Their 3-point shooting is elite,” Sargent said. “… They too like Detroit got to celebrate on our home floor. We need to be ready to play physically, ready to play with these guys and steer the game physically and win the margins on the glass, in the free-throw line. We need to be ready to redeem what they did on our home floor.”
One factor that could help Wright State shoot better from 3-point range compared to the January matchup is Cooper, who was 0-for-5 that night in his second game back after a minor hand injury.
Cooper was 3 for 5 from 3-point range on Thursday, when he was celebrating a birthday, and scored 15 points.
“We’ve just got to play a full 40 minutes,” Cooper said. “Being the number one seed, we’re going to be hunted. That’s been the lesson all season, we’ve just got to play two full halves. Our 10 minutes that we don’t play good are really bad, and that’s what bites us.”
Next game
Who: Wright State at Cleveland State
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410-AM, 101.5-FM
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