Wright State (24-7) defeated Oakland 95-60 Wednesday night at the Nutter Center in the Horizon League quarterfinal round. The Raiders shot 53.8 percent from the field for the game and held the Grizzlies to 29.7 percent.
“When we tip it up, I always feel like we’re going to win,” said Horizon League Coach of the Year Mike Bradbury.
Oakland took the lead early by going up 7-4 in the first three minutes of the game with a 3 pointer by Olivia Nash and four points from Nola Anderson. The Raiders bounced back with a 28-5 run hitting five of their first six attempts from behind the arc and prevented the Grizzlies from scoring for over five minutes. WSU made four of its next six attempts from behind the arc during a 22-17 run to close out the first half.
The Raiders shot 65.6 percent from the floor and 75 percent from behind the arc in the first half to gain a 54-29 lead at the break.
“It’s always good when they go in,” said Bradbury. “I felt like most of them were open so we kind of expect those to go in.”
WSU out-rebounded Oakland in the half by eight and held the Grizzlies to a 33.3 percent shooting percentage. Mingo went 6-for-8 from the floor and led all players at the break with 16 points and nine assists. Courtney Boyd and Breanna Stucke each made three 3-pointers in the half for 11 points.
The Raiders went on a 16-7 run in the first seven minutes of the second half to gain a 24-point advantage and would never look back. They shot 42.4 percent for the half and outscored the Grizzlies by 10.
Horizon League Player of the Year Tay’ler Mingo gathered her fourth career double-double with 23 points and a career-high 12 assists. Forward Symone Denham scored a career-high 15 points and collected seven rebounds.
“It felt good to know that he (Bradbury) and my teammates have confidence in me,” said Denham. “Even when I’m not knocking down shots, he kept telling me, ‘Keep shooting it.’ Luckily they went in today.”
Stucke made four shots from behind the arc and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. WSU received 28 points off of the bench with 10 from Abby Jump and nine from Richelle van der Keijl. Oakland was led by Nola Anderson with 12 points.
“There’s more to play,” said Bradbury. “We’ll be prepared, they’ll play hard and we’ll go give it a shot.”
The Raiders have won five-straight games and will travel to Green Bay this weekend for the Horizon League Championships semifinals. WSU will battle Cleveland State (19-11) for a spot in the Horizon League Championship game. The season series between the teams was split (1-1), each team winning on their home floor.
