Miami Falls to Wright State for 6th Straight Year
By Ted Brennan
MILLETT HALL, OXFORD OH – The RedHawks experienced their first hiccup of the young season, falling to the Raiders of Wright State: 81-68.
This game was a chance for the RedHawks to rid themselves of the demons that have plagued them against Wright State: Miami hasn’t won versus Wright State in 6 years. Their last win came in 2018.
Miami scored first, with Mekhi Cooper scoring a tough layup after playing a nice little two man game with Eian Elmer. The scoring on both sides was fast and furious, with both teams trading baskets throughout the whole first half.
Like game 1, the first half came down to the wire. Miami was down 3 with a two minutes left when Kam Craft rose up to tie the game at 40. Peter Suder added two more to make it 42-40 before Jack Doumbia of Wright State tied it at 42 with 26 seconds left in the half. Like Monday night versus Appalachian State, Miami hit a big 3 pointer to take the lead going into half. Unlike Monday night it wasn’t Craft who hit the three, but Elmer.
It was a heavyweight bout throughout the whole game but it was Brandon Noel who was the star of the show for the Raiders with 17 of his 27 points coming in that first half. Craft had 18 of his 23 points in the first half as well.
The second half was more of the same between the two teams but it was Noel and Alex Huibregtse who caught fire to propel the Raiders to the victory. Huibregtse finished with 26 points and 6 rebounds while Noel had a monster double-double with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Craft led Miami scorers with 23 points, and Elmer was the only other RedHawk in double digits with 12 points. Antwone Woolfolk chipped in 8 points and 10 rebounds, a good sign for the big man moving forward.
There are three big takeaways from this game that are worth mentioning moving forward.
First, The RedHawks need to be locked in defensively to win games, they will not outshoot their opponents. Sounds self-explanatory right? Well according to Coach Travis Steele’s press conference, it sounds like they needed this reminder. Friday’s practice was “the worst practice of the year” and Steele knew the defensive effort needed to be better before the game even started. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t happen. To Wright State’s credit, they are one of the fastest teams in the country, being ranked 22nd in pace last season. However, Miami’s defensive effort and lackadaisical nature getting back on the break led to way too many open looks and layups for the Raiders. And with the shots not falling in the second half, (53% FG and 38.5% 3PT in the first half but 32% FG and 11% 3PT in the second half), the lack of defensive effort was evident. Simply put, defense wins championships.
Second, Miami’s depth is the key to their season. This is one of the most depthful teams Miami has had in a long time and even in the MAC as a whole. This is a team that can run 10 men deep and feel totally confident with the ball in anyone’s hands. The center position was a bit of a concern today when both Woolfolk and Jackson Kotecki went down with foul trouble. It led to Elmer playing the five and Woolfolk playing less physically. With that being said, once Reece Potter returns, he will add another dimension to the team and allow Coach Steele to play 10 men deep.
Finally, the team will need to “embrace the process” as Coach Steele put it in his press conference. This means not riding the rollercoaster of the season: not getting too high, not getting too low. Each game (win or lose) is an opportunity for growth and the team will continue to grow as the season progresses on.
Miami’s next game is Tuesday, November 12 at Millett Hall vs Maryland Eastern Shore.