Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State coach Scott Nagy wasn’t unhappy with how his players defended Miami’s game-winning shot.
Senior Mark Hughes thought the team did about as well as it could, too.
Isaiah Coleman-Lands hit a 3-pointer as time expired to give Miami a 65-62 win Wednesday. He had hit only one other basket in the game, a 3-pointer in the first half, and didn’t play in the RedHawks’ first seven games because of a stress fracture in his shin.
The sophomore guard took a pass from a driving Darrian Ringo and swished a 25-footer from the right wing over the outstretched arm of Cole Gentry.
“You definitely live with a shot like that,” Hughes said. “In the game of basketball, people hit tough shots all the time. We contested it, and the dude just made an incredible shot.”
Coleman-Lands’ clutch bucket erased one by the Raiders’ Bill Wampler, who hit a 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left for a 62-62 tie.
The RedHawks had to go the length of the floor. And Wright State switched to a zone for the first time all season on the last possession.
“We went zone to stop the penetration from the top. They were isolating our people. But going to a zone didn’t really have any impact on it. He hit a tough shot with Cole right on top of him,” Nagy said.
Freshman sub Skyelar Potter missed practice leading up to the game because of the death of his stepmother, but he finished with a career-high 17 points and five rebounds. Wampler also had 17 points for the Raiders, who looked to be in control after trailing by 11 early in the second half.
They shot 28 percent in the first half and 56.5 in the second.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
Frantic finish: The RedHawks (5-4) trailed by four with 4:33 to go. But they outscored the Raiders, 9-2, over the next 2:31 and took a 60-57 lead when Nike Sibande made one of two free throws.
Gentry knocked down two foul shots to cut it to one with 1:51 left.
After the teams traded empty possessions, Ringo drove and missed, and, after a scrum for the rebound, he grabbed the ball and scored while being fouled with 19 seconds left. He missed the free throw, setting up Wampler’s tying trey.
No doubt: Coleman-Lands had a good feeling when the ball left his hands.
“I knew it was cash,” he said. “It’s just a lot of repetition. You know whether you’re going to make a shot or not, and I knew it was going in.”
His teammates mobbed him as the crowd of 4,095 went silent.
“It’s obviously something you practice when you’re young, doing the ‘3-2-1’ clock. It was kind of a dream come true. And those are great guys to celebrate with,” he said.
Coach Jack Owens had a sense of déjà vu as the ball was in the air.
“He’s been making timely 3’s ever since he was in middle school. I’ve known this kid a long time. At the end of the game, you just want him in,” Owens said.
Strong rebounding: The Raiders (4-5) came into the game with a plus-3.8 rebounding margin, but the RedHawks had a 38-28 edge on the glass.
“Rebounding was a big factor in the game,” Nagy said. “We got stops and couldn’t finish plays (with defensive rebounds). Our guys know this: You win the glass by 10, your chances of winning are about 100 percent.”
Honored: Former Wright State public address announcer Gordie Wise, who retired after last season, was recognized before the tipoff for his 49 years behind the microphone. He had called Raider games every year since the program’s inception.
Coming up: The Raiders are 1-1 against Mid-American Conference teams this year and will face another when they visit Kent State at 4 p.m. Saturday.
