Cole Darling didn’t hesitate. When asked if this was his best game as a Raider, the junior forward from Holt, Mich., said, “Definitely.”

From the first possession of Saturday’s game against Morehead State at the Nutter Center, Darling dominated. A Wright State offense in need of a go-to guy had one on this day. Darling scored a career-high 29 points as the Raiders improved to 5-2 with a 66-57 victory.

“I just had a mindset this week of we knew they were a physical team and they play hard every possession and we had to pick up our energy,” Darling said. “I had to bring energy and physicality. I guess it just carried through. As soon as I hit those first couple of shots, I just felt comfortable.”

Darling scored Wright State’s first 7 points on the team’s first three possessions. He had 22 points at halftime on 8-of-9 shooting and scored 4 points in the first three minutes of the second half.

Wright State fell behind 4-2 in the opening minutes but seized a 14-4 lead in the first six minutes and never trailed again. The Eagles (4-4) played tenacious defense until the end and forced 20 turnovers, but they got no closer than 5 points in the second half.

Darling was a big reason. He shot 10-of-13 from the floor, 3-of-3 from 3-point range and 6-of-8 from the foul line. He played like someone who hadn’t played in a while, and that was partially true.

Darling took an elbow to the face Nov. 13 at Eastern Illinois and suffered a concussion, playing only six minutes. He missed the next three games and played 12 minutes Nov. 24 in the loss to Utah. He didn’t return to practice until Wednesday.

“Getting my wind back in practice these last couple days was tough,” Darling said, “but it felt good to be back.”

Darling’s previous career high was 21 points against Milwaukee last February. He led the Raiders with 18 points in their season opener at Idaho, so in the two full games he’s played, he’s averaged 23.5.

“Cole is one of those guys that once he gets going in a zone, he can really fill it up,” said junior guard Matt Vest, the only other Raider in double figures with 10 points. “After he made his first couple shots, I know I was looking for him, and I think the other guys were, too.”

Darling scored in double figures seven times as a sophomore, but he also had many nights when he was held to 5 or fewer points. Wright State coach Billy Donlon remembered former star players such as Vaughn Duggins going through the same slumps when they were young.

“It wasn’t pretty every night,” Donlon said. “When Cole Darling was a sophomore, there were nights when he looked like the best player in the league, and there were nights when he didn’t have it. He’s played two full games now, and he’s been pretty good. He just can’t have nights where he’s just not there. He’s got to have nights every night where he gets 10 and 5, and he’s going to have nights like this where he goes for 29.”

Darling’s scoring helped the Raiders overcome a 27-17 disadvantage in rebounding. The Raiders shot a season-best 60 percent from the field and made 18-of-24 free throws. They also forced 25 turnovers.

“They like to get out and press, and they have a lot of physical guys who play hard,” Vest said. “Once we got the ball moving a little bit, we were able to get easy baskets, and we obviously got Cole going.”