Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State coach Katrina Merriweather had positive vibes going into an NCAA first-round matchup with 15th-ranked Arkansas, and a sizzling first quarter only reinforced her belief that an upset was possible.
The Raiders scored 20 points in the period while building an eight-point lead — the most production they’ve had in the opening 10 minutes since also getting 20 against Northern Kentucky on Feb. 12 (seven games ago).
Merriweather can always count on her players to rebound and defend. And when they’re scoring at a healthy clip, they can be a handful for anyone.
“They were so locked in, and it was a 40-minute plan. We told them we weren’t going to shut this team out. They average 80 points a game,” Merriweather said by phone from the team’s San Antonio hotel. “We said, ‘They’re going to make tough shots. These things are going to happen, and you’ve just got to stay strong.’ That’s what they did.”
The offense cooled a bit when the Razorbacks went to a zone, but the Raiders were efficient enough to pull out a 66-62 victory — the program’s first in the NCAA tourney.
They’ll face fifth-seeded Missouri State (22-2) in the second round at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Texas-San Antonio Convocation Center. The Lady Bears beat UC Davis, 70-51.
