OXFORD — Logan Woods didn’t find himself in the position to play defensive specialist by coincidence.
The Wright State redshirt sophomore embraced the role Saturday afternoon.
“It was kind of a group decision,” said Woods, a Fairfield High School graduate who put on a defensive performance down the stretch that ultimately propelled the Raiders to an 81-68 road victory over the Miami RedHawks at Millett Hall.
“I told the coaches that I wanted to guard their best guy. They’ve noticed that my mentality has been there, and they put me on him.”
Miami’s Kam Craft scored 17 of his team-high 23 points in the first half, but it was Woods who jumped in to hold Craft at bay in the final 20 minutes.
“Logan stepped up, and that was kind of our challenge,” Wright State first-year coach Clint Sargent said. “In some of those huddles early in the second half, again the start wasn’t great. We were disjointed. He really responded.
“Collectively as a team, I thought we got way more in sync. Logan’s another guy — third year in the program, redshirted, kind of wrestling with those mundane days — who is developing his heart for Wright State.”
The RedHawks (1-1), who came off a season-opening road win against Appalachian State, took a 45-42 lead into the halftime break. Wright State (2-1) outscored Miami 39-23 in the second half.
“It was really just about bringing the energy,” Woods said. “If you want to stay on the court, you’ve got to bring the energy, play good defense and just help the team win in different ways. That’s what I’ve really learned. Today, my defense was there, and I brought the energy.”
Miami shot 16 of 30 (53%) from the floor in the first half, which was closed out on a last-second 3-pointer by Eian Elmer that sent the RedHawks into the locker room with their three-point lead. Elmer finished with 12 points, while Antwone Woolfork had eight points and 10 rebounds for Miami.
Wright State’s Brandon Noel had 27 points and 16 rebounds — both game-highs — and Alex Huibregtse had 26 points.
“First off, give credit to Wright State,” Miami third-year coach Travis Steele said. “I thought they played really well. I thought they had a good game plan. I thought Brandon and Alex dominated the game. Obviously, 27 and 26 (points). They’ve got two horses — all-league level players. They played like all-league level guys today. They played like dudes. Give them all the credit in the world.
“I told our guys, I said listen, ‘We had our worst practice of the year yesterday.’ I knew it. I told my wife this last night on the way home. She always asks how did practice go. I said, ‘Our guys aren’t ready.’ I had a weird feeling with our group.”
Wright State lost to Kentucky 103-62 in its season opener and defeated Ohio Christian 89-60 before making the short trip to Oxford.
Saturday marked the 40th time the RedHawks and Raiders have faced off. Miami leads the all-time series 21-19. The last time Miami defeated Wright State was on Dec. 5, 2018, in a 65-62 contest.
“It’s hard to win here, so it means a lot,” Sargent said. “I’m going to lean on that and continue to talk about it because I think as we go, and the year gets hard for other people, I think this locker room will only get stronger.”
Miami hosts Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday. Wright State, which fired 31 of 56 (61%) from the floor Saturday, travels to Toledo on Wednesday.
