To start the season, the Wright State Raiders brought in the Bellarmine Knights for an exhibition matchup in front of the Raider faithful. After previously taking a win in a secret scrimmage against Ball State, and with another scrimmage on the horizon before the season’s start, the Raiders would give their home crowd the first opportunity to see the squad in action before the highly anticipated Stars and Stripes Classic on November 2nd, where undoubtedly the Raider bouncy house will make an appearance.
Wright State used this opportunity to show their intensity on the court, smothering the Bellarmine Knights 76-54 and taking full advantage of an early defensive shut out to make sure the outcome was never in doubt.
“The intensity we can play with that doesn’t dip and is not circumstantial… it would be great if we can get to a level and a standard that we can just play really hard with great enthusiasm for one another and it doesn’t matter who’s in the game,” head coach Clint Sargent summarized about the game. “And I thought you could see some of that… if you ask me ‘What’s the main thing [you] practice?’ that would be it, the intensity we play with.
“Intensity” was certainly the word to describe the Raiders in the first half. Throughout eight minutes of play, WSU held off the Bellarmine offense and kept them to two points using a suffocating frontcourt presence. Between Kellen Pickett’s size and positioning, as well as Andrea Holden’s dynamic rebounding on the defensive glass, the Knights could not find purchase in the paint. Using that defensive momentum, WSU built up a double digit lead that kept growing throughout the night. With a 32-20 lead at the half, and the Knights shooting at 28%, the Raiders showed the high level of defense that was displayed during the tournament last year.
Wright State followed up that performance by then matching and outpacing the Knights on offense. With Dominic Pangonis and Pickett leading the way, the Raiders started picking up offensive rebounds and scoring second chance buckets to bring the lead into the twenties. Pace of play increased and the passes to the front of the court sped the offense along, in some cases to the point where it fell into Bellarmine players’ hands. At one point, the Raiders had gained as much as a 29-point lead in the middle of the second before slowing down their game.
Here are the insights from the first game overall, a way-too-early look as it were:
1. Holden has the capacity to be the focal point of the Raiders. Throughout the game, Holden was making dynamic plays, shutting down on defense, and leaping over top of Bellarmine players to make jump shots. The fact that he is able to comfortably play both sides of the court is going to be indispensable in the regular season. However, Holden in this game showed a little bit of volatility in his play. His intensity comes through in his game, which led to a flagrant one foul and a technical off of an elbow going into the post.
2. Better to fear Pangonis. Pangonis’s perfect game accents the role he plays for the Raiders as a consistent scoring presence. His play was particularly impressive in this game, having not missed a shot and not committed any turnovers throughout his time on the floor, which led all Raiders.
“High level of trust in Dom, his skill set is really good,” Sargent remarked about Pangonis.
3. The transfer class is as high impact as predicted. Milijaševic was dazzling the court with his ability to get open off the ball for shots from three, sinking all three attempts in the early game. Djapa kept Bellarmine’s 6’11 center Jacob Wassler at bay, and notched a block as well. Chadlyn Traylor provided key support throughout and CJ O’Hara, while having a quiet game, showed some similar explosiveness to drive into the paint.
“They’re (Milijaševic and Djapa) very, very professional and their intrinsic motivation is very similar to mine,” Sargent said. “They love their country, they love their family, and they love their teammates.”
4. D-d-d-defense. The Raider defense was the real standout on the night during the first half. Pickett, Djapa, Holden, and even freshman Noah Lewis who got the starting nod all contributed to a machine that shut down Bellarmine and cracked the game wide open for Wright State to take over early on. That effort started to fade into the second half as different tactics and formations were experimented with, and Bellarmine was able to salvage their shooting and stay in the game.
“I think [Pickett] could go play defensively anywhere, right now.” Sargent said.
Wright State’s next public match is the Stars and Stripes Classic against Air Force on November 2nd, a match that the Wright State administration has been clamoring for the past couple months to draw as much of the public in for the game. Tickets have been granted to WPAFB members, Wright State faculty and staff, as well as Wright State students so it’s planned to draw a crowd. Tailgating is expected prior to the game along with a shirt to go with the festivities.
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