Raiders stumble at CSU
Jan 30, 2005 10:12:02 GMT -5
Post by Big D on Jan 30, 2005 10:12:02 GMT -5
Raiders stumble at CSU
Different bunch of Vikings squash WSU's momentum
By Marc Katz
Dayton Daily News
CLEVELAND | The roller coaster took another downward turn for the Wright State Raiders on Saturday, and sophomore point guard DaShaun Wood didn't like the ride.
"I can't remember one thing we did well," said Wood after the Raiders lost 67-53 to Cleveland State at the Wolstein Center. "They played harder and better than us. I give them a lot of credit. They defended us very well."
Senior teammate Zach Williams watched film of the Vikings and thought he had warned his teammates of what was coming.
"I knew this wouldn't be a cake walk," Williams said. "They were healthy and they were on a roll. This wasn't the same team we beat in Dayton."
Cleveland State most certainly isn't the same team that won only four games all last season, finishing with 23 straight losses. It wasn't even the same team that lost 73-57 at WSU on Jan. 6.
Cleveland State is a team that has won three straight Horizon League games for the first time in four years. Wright State is a team back at .500, its two-game winning streak snapped and standing still at 10-10, 5-4 in the league.
Cleveland State improved to 7-10, 4-5 in the league.
Unlike other games when teams came at them with bump-and-look innocent defenses, the Raiders seemed to back down a little this game, allowing the Vikings to go inside while missing several of their own inside shots.
"You've got to play through the contact," WSU coach Paul Biancardi said. "This isn't the first time (the Vikings) have played hard. They played hard all year. They drove the ball to the basket. We had good looks around the basket. You've got to play through shots that didn't go in."
Despite what looks like a lopsided loss, the Raiders kept the game close despite finding themselves down 11-2 in the first five minutes. At the half, they trailed 27-26.
After that, Cleveland State kept nudging up the margin and the Raiders kept bringing it back down, most notably to 47-44 with 7:51 to play on a whirlwind trio of plays by Wood.
Trailing 47-40, Wood drove the lane on the left side, slid under the basket and put in a reverse layup to make it 47-42. Cleveland State missed a 3-point shot at the other end that Wood rebounded, and he found Everett Spencer for the same kind of reverse basket he made to make it 47-44.
The Raiders fizzled the rest of the way.
Biancardi glanced over the score sheet and pointed out the numbers he didn't like. There were plenty. Wright State committed 16 turnovers, allowed 18 points off those turnovers, allowed 30 points in the paint and allowed 13 second-chance points. The Raiders' shooting touch, for 3-point shots and at the foul line, was sub-standard.
"You've got to play through the good times, you've got to play through the bad times," Biancardi said. "You can't make excuses.
"I think we've been performing well all year — for the most part, 80 percent of the season. I like who we are now. I like where we started. We hit some peaks, we hit some valleys. We're running the race. The race has a long way to go, still. We have the whole month of February."
The Horizon race is filled with teams that think they can do it. Milwaukee, 8-1 in league play entering Saturday night's game at Green Bay, stands alone at the top and is at Wright State on Wednesday. Youngstown State is 1-8 and alone at the bottom. In between are seven teams in a huddle around a barrel fire.
"I think anybody can beat anybody," Biancardi said. "I don't think we can look at any game — not even Milwaukee can say, 'We're going to win this game.' "
Wright State couldn't say it Saturday night.
Contact Marc Katz at 225-2157.
www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/wsu/daily/0130wsubb.html
Different bunch of Vikings squash WSU's momentum
By Marc Katz
Dayton Daily News
CLEVELAND | The roller coaster took another downward turn for the Wright State Raiders on Saturday, and sophomore point guard DaShaun Wood didn't like the ride.
"I can't remember one thing we did well," said Wood after the Raiders lost 67-53 to Cleveland State at the Wolstein Center. "They played harder and better than us. I give them a lot of credit. They defended us very well."
Senior teammate Zach Williams watched film of the Vikings and thought he had warned his teammates of what was coming.
"I knew this wouldn't be a cake walk," Williams said. "They were healthy and they were on a roll. This wasn't the same team we beat in Dayton."
Cleveland State most certainly isn't the same team that won only four games all last season, finishing with 23 straight losses. It wasn't even the same team that lost 73-57 at WSU on Jan. 6.
Cleveland State is a team that has won three straight Horizon League games for the first time in four years. Wright State is a team back at .500, its two-game winning streak snapped and standing still at 10-10, 5-4 in the league.
Cleveland State improved to 7-10, 4-5 in the league.
Unlike other games when teams came at them with bump-and-look innocent defenses, the Raiders seemed to back down a little this game, allowing the Vikings to go inside while missing several of their own inside shots.
"You've got to play through the contact," WSU coach Paul Biancardi said. "This isn't the first time (the Vikings) have played hard. They played hard all year. They drove the ball to the basket. We had good looks around the basket. You've got to play through shots that didn't go in."
Despite what looks like a lopsided loss, the Raiders kept the game close despite finding themselves down 11-2 in the first five minutes. At the half, they trailed 27-26.
After that, Cleveland State kept nudging up the margin and the Raiders kept bringing it back down, most notably to 47-44 with 7:51 to play on a whirlwind trio of plays by Wood.
Trailing 47-40, Wood drove the lane on the left side, slid under the basket and put in a reverse layup to make it 47-42. Cleveland State missed a 3-point shot at the other end that Wood rebounded, and he found Everett Spencer for the same kind of reverse basket he made to make it 47-44.
The Raiders fizzled the rest of the way.
Biancardi glanced over the score sheet and pointed out the numbers he didn't like. There were plenty. Wright State committed 16 turnovers, allowed 18 points off those turnovers, allowed 30 points in the paint and allowed 13 second-chance points. The Raiders' shooting touch, for 3-point shots and at the foul line, was sub-standard.
"You've got to play through the good times, you've got to play through the bad times," Biancardi said. "You can't make excuses.
"I think we've been performing well all year — for the most part, 80 percent of the season. I like who we are now. I like where we started. We hit some peaks, we hit some valleys. We're running the race. The race has a long way to go, still. We have the whole month of February."
The Horizon race is filled with teams that think they can do it. Milwaukee, 8-1 in league play entering Saturday night's game at Green Bay, stands alone at the top and is at Wright State on Wednesday. Youngstown State is 1-8 and alone at the bottom. In between are seven teams in a huddle around a barrel fire.
"I think anybody can beat anybody," Biancardi said. "I don't think we can look at any game — not even Milwaukee can say, 'We're going to win this game.' "
Wright State couldn't say it Saturday night.
Contact Marc Katz at 225-2157.
www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/wsu/daily/0130wsubb.html