But Wright State looked as if it could get any shot it wanted, starting 7 of 7 and 15 of 20 from the field in building a 44-20 lead on the way to an 88-73 win before 3,142 fans Monday.
“I’m proud of the fact we showed up after Christmas (on Dec. 26), and we had great days of practice. I’m trying to encourage our players that we can lean on that. They don’t have to get caught up in the emotional highs and lows of a season,” Sargent said.
“That’s our big thing right now — consistency. We’ve had pockets of really good play, but consistently putting together efforts to win is the next step for the program.”
Solomon Callaghan fueled the fast start with a 3-point barrage.
The 6-2 sophomore lefty matched his career high for treys with five in the first 12 minutes. He finished 6 of 7 on 3’s and had 20 points, one off his career high, after going scoreless in the previous two games.
“We came out hot. That was the big thing. We came out emphasizing the energy. The last couple home games we dropped (Miami and Toledo), it was because the energy wasn’t there,” Callaghan said.
“Our defense was flowing, and that’s when our offense gets flowing, too.”
Leading 53-41 early in the second half, the Raiders (7-7 overall. 2-1 in the Horizon League) put together a spurt to pull away for good.
Oakland (6-8, 2-1) was called for a technical, and Michael Cooper made one of two foul shots.
Michael Imariagbe then stepped to the line and made two free throws (after Oakland was called for a lane violation on one of his misses), making it 56-41.
Dom Pangonis then hit a 3 for a 59-41 lead.
The Raiders finished 9 of 16 from the arc and 31 of 55 (56.4%) overall. They held the Grizzlies to 23-of-60 shooting (38.3%).
“It’s one of those things that can be hard to prepare for,” Sargent said of Oakland’s zone. “Some of it is psychological and the habits because you don’t see it often. You’re really banking on your team having calmness and confidence about them,” he said.
“When you see a few going in early, it can spread and be contagious.”
TJ Burch had two steals and five points in the first 63 seconds. He leads the league with 3.0 steals per game and had six.
He also was effective penetrating the zone. He finished with a career-high 17 points and four assists.
Imariagbe had 15 points and Pangonis 10.
Cooper was named HL freshman of the week for the third time Monday (he’s won three of the eight awards this season and is the only multiple winner). He was held to nine points for only his third single-digit game this year.
Next game
Who: Milwaukee at Wright State
When: 2 p.m. Thursday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 1410, 101.5
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