Basketball | Photo by Diana Jaber | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State Raiders took on the Milwaukee Panthers in two very important games on Friday, Feb. 5 and Saturday, Feb. 6.
Coming into the weekend, the Raiders were 11-3 and the Panthers were 12-2 in the Horizon League. With these two wins, the Raiders’ 13-3 record has moved them into first place in the Horizon League with only four games left to play in the season.
The players to watch over the weekend were Wright State’s Angel Baker, with 55 points over both games, and Milwaukee’s Brandi Bisping, with 22 points and rebounds over both games.
“We had a plan, and this is the first time top to bottom that everyone was bought in and executed the game plan,” Head Coach Katrina Merriweather said.
Game One
Tyler Frierson won the tip ball, and Emani Jefferson started the Raider scoring with a drive in the paint. Milwaukee’s scoring started with a quick point from Brandi Bisping, but four points from Angel Baker and a shot in the paint from Frierson gave WSU an 8-2 lead.
The Raiders were ready to play as soon as the game started, with 11 points from Baker in the first quarter tearing apart the Milwaukee defense for a 20-6 lead.
“The conversation simply was ‘It’s time for you to show up’,” Head Coach Katrina Merriweather said. “It’s time for us to play well collectively not on different nights, but on the same day.”
The panthers hit back with points from Bisping and Bre Cera, but the Raiders still led 22-14 at the end of the quarter.
Milwaukee was able to lock down defensively in the second quarter by putting more pressure on Baker, as points from Kendall Nead and Emma Whitmerhaus brought the Panthers within three of the Raiders 35-38.
A last-second three from an open Angel Baker gave the raiders a 42-37 lead coming into halftime.
The teams started even in the third, but back-to-back points from Baker and Frierson extended their lead to 53-43. They drew even throughout the rest of the quarter, with a layup from Milwaukee’s Alyssa Moore bringing the score to 56-47.
The Panthers fought hard to try and gain on Wright State’s lead, but points from Baker and Jefferson continued to deny them as the raiders drained the clock.
“I’m very pleased with our defensive effort today,” Merriweather said. “We got some big minutes and big plays, especially defensively, from a lot of people.”
Patient defense and offense put all the pressure on Milwaukee, and Wright State secured the important win 67-58.
Game Two
Frierson won the tip, and Jada Wright put the first point on the scoreboard. Both teams played solid defense throughout the game, and made their shots count.
The teams were evenly matched throughout the first half, with points in the paint from both teams tying the game at 10 and 18. But, a layup from Kendall Nead at the buzzer gave Milwaukee a 3-point lead at the half 26-23.
Jada Roberson started the scoring for the Raiders in the third quarter, but Megan Walstead punched back with a quick three, bringing the score to 25-29.
A steal into a quick basket from Jada Roberson changed the momentum of the game, starting a 14-point run for the raiders that continued into the fourth quarter, giving the raiders a 10-point lead 44-34.
A technical foul finally stopped WSU’s run, and Milwaukee brought the score back to 44-38 with five minutes to play.
The Raiders slowed down the game to waste Milwaukee’s time, with an Angel Baker basket at the shot clock giving them a 49-41 lead.
Milwaukee applied a full-court press to try and get back into the game, but smart play from the Raiders secured their 2-0 weekend and moved them into first place 56-49.
