INDIANAPOLIS – Usually it’s a good thing when a team opens up hitting all its shots, including treys, building a double-digit lead early in the game. It’s even better for a team that doesn’t usually start fast, even one we might call offensively challenged.
Not so this night.
In tonight’s Horizon League quarter-final game between 4th seed Wright State and 5th seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Brad Brownell’s Wright State Raiders came out blazing hot, hitting their first five shots (including two treys by center Ronnie Thomas), and 10 of their first 17 (including 6-8 from the arc), to lead 26-14 11:38 into the game.
But along the way, the Raiders forgot what “brung” them this far, never dug in and clamped down defensively, and allowed Milwaukee to then take off on a 25-13 run (and 16-2 to the horn) to end the first half tied at 39.
It didn’t help that WSU’s best player Todd Brown picked up his second foul at the 12:55 mark when he switched onto Tone Boyle at the arc, sat the rest of the half, and went to the locker room scoreless.
It also didn’t help that plodding back-up Milwaukee forward Jason Averkamp was hot inside and out, shot 4-for-4 and 2-for-2, and led all scorers with 10 at the intermission.
But – there’s always a but – Wright State somehow managed to right the ship at halftime, came out guarding like they should have from the outset, and scored 15 of the first 17 points in the second half to lead 54-41. And this time they continued to guard.
It was a game in which Wright State held Milwaukee’s leading scorer Jim Eayers scoreless, mostly the work of Ronnie Thomas, and in which Milwaukee countered by holding WSU leading scorer Todd Brown to eight, three of which were late-game free-throws most of which were the work of Ricky Franklin. The Raiders’ signature half-court man-to-man defense controlled the game, and Wright State won easily 80-70, in a game that was over at the under-eight media timeout.
For Wright State, Cory Cooperwood was efficient all night long, scoring 14 on 4-6 shooting (making his only shot from behind the arc), and pulling down 10 huge rebounds. Ever-improving N’Gai Evans scored 12 points, also on 4-6 and 1-1 shooting, was credited with five assists and only two turnovers, and played a superior floor game.
For the losers, Avery Smith kept his team in the game until half-way through the second half, finishing with 15 points on 6-10 and 1-2, 4 rebounds, five assists and two turnovers. Reserve Deonte Roberts contributed 15 as well on 7-7 shooting, though most of his scoring was after the issue was decided.
After the game, Brownell was prouder of his team than I’ve seen all year. When I asked him about holding Eayers scoreless, he talked about having game-planned to rotate on Eayers when he screens and then slips/pops and that collectively his team kept Eayers from ever finding a rhythm in the game.
As to the strong shooting performance (53 percent, and 67 percent from behind the arc on 12-18), Brownell said, “It helps us offensively that our post guys can shoot and that that makes Eayers guard all over the floor.” He added that he “expects Ronnie [Thomas] to make more shots and he is free to shoot three-pointers.”
Brownell complimented both Thomas and Cooperwood, saying Thomas has “fought through some injuries this season,” and that Cooperwood, “shows more enthusiasm as a player, cares more for his teammates that any of us would imagine.”
While Brownell thought that the defensive focus slipped when his team shot itself to a twelve-point lead midway through the first half, he was really excited about how his team defended the 3-point line in the second half. Milwaukee shot 8-26 from the arc in the game, just 2-13 in the second half.
Finally, Brownell talked about who his second scorer might be after Todd Brown. After acknowledging Brown’s foul trouble in tonight’s first half, and his overall average game, he was incredibly pleased that his other guys shot well, meaning Cooperwood, Evans, Thomas and even Cooper Land, who scored 13 points on a 4-6 effort from beyond the arc.
Now it’s time for Wright State to play the home team and first seed, Butler, tomorrow night here at Hinkle. Recognizing that Butler has twice dominated the early going against WSU, Brownell said, “We have to play them well early; they got much too comfortable at our place.”
Well, if the Raiders can manage to shoot as well tomorrow night against Butler’s defense as they did tonight against Milwaukee’s, they just might be in the game to the end with the Bulldogs.
