Jasmine Fearne, fresh off injury and debuting for Wright State for the first time, mustered up a stellar performance from beyond the arc against the Indiana State Sycamores, shooting 8-9 for 24 points. Wright State unfortunately couldn’t capitalize, falling to the Sycamores 73-66 on the road.
Wright State, still looking for its first D1 win of the season, traveled the short drive to Terre Haute to take on the Indiana State Sycamores, the third such road match of the season with plenty more to go. After falling to #5 Michigan due to turnovers and some hot shooting by the Wolverines, the Raiders were looking for a win. Indiana State was able to show their home crowd a solid win against fellow Horizon League member IU Indy, winning 86-74.
Wright State started off behind, taking a 9-2 deficit early off of turnovers. Wright State would climb back up to the Sycamores lead, getting as close as 11-9, then Indiana State would climb back out of reach, ending the first quarter 21-16. Continuing the trend, Wright State fought to tie the game back up, earned a slim lead midway through the 2nd, then allowed the Sycamores to fight back and end the half back in the lead 34-32.
Indiana State’s Saroiya Ajomale was the main catalyst to the Raiders remaining stymied. Ajomale earned 4 blocks throughout the first half and had an overwhelming presence in the paint that Wright State could not get around. While the Raiders were shooting at a fairly high percentage, particularly from the arc, the turnover margin was well out of Wright State’s favor. These lost possessions were the main cause for concern coming out of the half.
Indiana State’s lead grew coming back from the half, and this time the Raiders would get no closer. While Wright State battled, Indiana State was able to capitalize on even more turnovers to keep the squad at arms reach. It was only in the final minutes that the Raiders were able to draw the Sycamores close, getting as close as a single possession with 30 seconds to go and the ball in Wright State’s hands. The final Raider attempt was a good look by Rylee Sagester from three, but the attempt was just shy off the rim and Indiana State was able to close out, winning 73-66.
“I thought we were soft,” Hoffman told HoriZone. “We prepared them for pressure and knew turnovers and offensive rebounds were the name of the game. [I] didn’t think we were focused from the jump to mitigate those things. Our level of toughness and discipline has to go to a new level. We have the skill to do it, and we’re getting healthier and I fully expect us to kick it in gear.”
Jasmine Fearne was the star of the night for the Raiders, going 8-9 from three (8-11 overall) and leading the offense with 24 PTs and 7 rebounds. Since the Raiders have had four players inactive to start the season and two more in Elaina Rager and Megan Campbell go down in the past two games, Fearne’s return could not have come at a better time and could not have made a bigger impact.
“I thought Jazzie was exceptional and carried us offensively,” head coach Kari Hoffman said. “We need more players to step up and play better on that end.”
Jayden Terry (19 PTs, 7-18) and Rylee Sagester (11 PTs, 4-8) also earned double digit points for Wright State. Grace Okih led the team in rebounds with 9. Jayci Allen led the Sycamores in scoring with 23 PTs, and was paritcularly effective in shooting the corner three for the squad. Ajomale (16 PTs, 5 BLK), McMillan (13 PTs, 9 REB), and Singhateh (12 PTs) rounded out the rest of the scoring for Indiana State, and the squad as a whole had a whopping 14 steals against the Raiders.
The Wright State Raiders will return home to face Marshall in a double-header with the men’s team on November 18th before taking to the road again for the rest of the month.
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