Wright State Recap: Miami Falls to Raiders on the Road
By: Jack Mueller
The Miami RedHawks were defeated on the road by the Wright State Raiders 92-82 after a back and forth game that saw the home team pull away in the final minutes.
The ten point gap in scoring is not an indication of the game though, as Miami was within one score for large stretches of the second half. A series of timely steals from the home team combined with the RedHawks going cold from behind the arc stretched the scoreline to double digits in the last two minutes of the game.
As a whole Miami played a solid, all-around game. The three point shooting was once again excellent, led by Darweshi Hunter’s three connections from range. The early season issues with turnovers and rebounding seem to have been somewhat mitigated, as the RedHawks were able to keep pace with the home side in both areas on Tuesday. The bench unit provided a welcome spark as the freshman trio of Elmer, Potter and Cooper combined for 16 points on 55% shooting.
However, the Raiders experience showed, as graduate student Tanner Holden led the scoring with 27, missing just one shot from the field. The duo of Holden and redshirt sophomore Brandon Noel proved to be too much to handle, as Noel added 25 points and 11 rebounds, his second double-double of the season. Trey Calvin was also a force from the point guard position, registering three steals throughout the game to drain whatever momentum Miami had, while also finding Holden and Noel in the paint early and often for easy looks.
The big news for the RedHawks was the return of last years’ third leading scorer, Anderson Mirambeaux. After missing the first nine games of the season, the senior big man picked up right where he left off, putting up eleven points in just fourteen minutes in his shortened return. His veteran presence in the paint will undoubtedly be a huge boost for Miami, who up until this point had relied on sophomore Jaquel Morris and freshman Reece Potter to handle the low post duties.
After a fourteen point breakout game against Marshall followed by a disappointing night against Davidson, Bradley Dean started to find his groove in the Miami offense. The junior transfer, along with Bryce Bultman, led the Redhawks in scoring with 12. Dean connected with two huge three pointers which kept the game from getting out of reach for the away team. Three point shooting continued to be a key to success for the team as a whole, as they shot 44% from behind the arc. Wright State only managed two threes the entire game, which kept the RedHawks in the game despite the Raiders making 66% of their shots from the field.
Jaquel Morris continued his strong start to the season, registering a perfect shooting game from the field (4-4), including two strong layups under the basket. Morris’ role will definitely be altered with the return of Mirambeaux, but his play so far this season warrants a continued stretch of playing time as Travis Steele’s squad get closer to MAC play.
The RedHawks will have to bounce back quickly, as this tough stretch of games gets even tougher on Friday, as the University of Vermont will travel to Oxford to take on Miami at Millett Hall. The Catamounts are coming off a 2023 season that saw them win 23 games and earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. Friday’s game will be a good barometer to reveal if the RedHawks will be conference title contenders come March.