Wright State women’s basketball now has a new all-time leading scorer in Kim Demmings as her 27 paced the Raiders to a 92-65 win.
Though an obviously huge milestone, Demmings said focusing on the record wasn’t her main priority.
“I wasn’t thinking about it. I was just trying to move the ball, get open shots and run our offense the best we could. I figured if we did that, the shots would come,” Demmings said.
Demmings missed her first three attempts, before knocking down a jumper with 5:12 remaining.
After the first quarter, Wright State led 16-11 as neither team could seem to find the basket. Wright State shot an abysmal 6-24 from the field and 1-8 from three. Lipscomb had issues of their own, as they shot an equally horrific 5-18.
The second quarter was drastically different, as the Raiders used an 12-6 run to open the quarter, capped by Mackenzie Taylor’s free throw with just over five minutes remaining in the first half.
“I think we were getting the same shots, we just made more in the second quarter,” head coach Mike Bradbury said. “We were playing with the right amount of energy and effort. That’s about all we concern ourselves with right now.”
Back to back threes by the Raiders pushed the lead to 12 with 3:13 remaining.
Raiders closed out the second quarter with a 9-0 run, ending with Emily Vogelpohl weaving through traffic on a fast break, turning a nifty behind-the-back crossover into a layup.
Wright State led 46-28 at halftime, after a three from Lipscomb’s Amber Fuqua.
After a third quarter that saw Wright State’s lead trimmed to 12, the Raiders opened the final period with an 8-2 run. A three by Lipscomb’s Smith made it 56-70 with 8:08 remaining but Wright State used another run—13-4, to break the lead open once again.
Demmings record-breaking shot came on a jumper with 6:24 remaining.
Demmings was not the only Raider to have a career night, as Taylor scored a career-high 18 points on 4-9 shooting from three and 6-11 overall. Though Taylor had a great night, Bradbury didn’t mince words about his freshman’s needed contribution.
“She needs to make shots,” Bradbury said. “She knows that, and anything else she can do would be nice.”
“That’s what she’s going to have to do consistently for us—to help us win.”
“It felt good, just to have the confidence from my teammates, telling me to keep shooting and the coaching staff having faith in me to knock down those shots,” Taylor said.
Riche van der Keijl posted her third straight double-double with a 10-point, 11-rebound performance, nine of which came in the first half.
Wright State faces Austin Peay Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Nutter Center. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
