Fifth-year forward Michael Imariagbe is more toned, moves much better and had eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Holdover guards Solomon Callaghan (14 points) and Logan Woods (six) appear capable of taking on more of the scoring load.
Starting point guard Michael Cooper, a savvy 6-3, 185-pound freshman, played a team-high 32 minutes without committing a turnover and led the way with 16 points.
And a prime example of the renewed defensive focus was on display in the last 10 seconds of the first half when the Bobcats had the final possession but couldn’t get off a shot.
The Raiders had trouble getting traction on offense — OU has a stout defense, too — and that’s something that needs to be addressed before they start playing for keeps Nov. 3 against Franklin College.
They made 22 of 60 shots (36.7%), went 7 of 24 on 3’s and connected on just 12 of 26 foul shots.
But they held OU to 18-of-51 shooting (35.3%), including 4 of 19 on 3’s. The Bobcats made only 17 of 30 free throws.
“In so many ways, I’ve just been praying for a game that we could shoot 36% from the field — and we missed 14 free throws — and we win ugly.” Sargent said.
“We know (the program) has been so much about aesthetically pleasing offense, and all that’s great — I’d like more of that, gentlemen. But my heart’s full today, and I’m very thankful for a number of things.”
Topping the list was the birth of his son, Booker David Sargent, delivered by wife Jill at 9:15 a.m. on game day. He’s the couple’s fifth child, all 11 and younger.
But while he admittedly felt a little foggy, he led the Raiders to their second straight preseason confidence-builder after a close loss in a scrimmage at Akron.
“Very pleased with the physicality. Two teams that I have a ton of respect for — coach (John) Groce at Akron and coach (Jeff) Boals at Ohio both mentioned our physicality,” Sargent said.
“It’s something we’ve been working on since the summer. We’ve been doing it every day, and you never know how it’ll show up on the floor. But to get 16 offensive rebounds, to get to the free-throw line 26 times —those numbers travel well. You match that with good defense, and you can win a lot of games.”
There was some drama with the Raiders ahead, 52-46, and OU’s Jackson Paveletzke getting ready to shoot free throws with 2:44 to go. Wright State huddled at the top of the key, only to have OU’s Aidan Hadaway step into the circle uninvited.
He was pushed away and flopped to the court, drawing a technical on the Raiders. OU drilled three of four foul shots to make it 52-49.
But Callaghan scored inside and also hit back-to-back 3’s to end the suspense. He had 12 points in the final 2:29.
“In the summertime with the guys we’ve brought in, we mention the ‘deep end’ a lot, which is really trying to go to a place a lot of other people don’t want to go,” Callaghan said, referring to inner toughness.
“Once we got those stops, we started stacking some possessions together where we were scoring and getting some easy buckets. It’s something we’ve been working on for a long time, and we got there.”
About the Author