{"id":385706,"date":"2026-01-02T00:03:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T00:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/385706\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T00:03:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T00:03:08","slug":"womens-basketball-to-kick-off-2026-against-detroit-mercy-friday-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/385706\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Basketball to Kick Off 2026 Against Detroit Mercy Friday Night"},"content":{"rendered":"

DAYTON- The Wright State women’s basketball team (5-10, 1-3 HL) will kick off 2026 in the Nutter Center on January 2 against Detroit Mercy. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
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\nGAME INFORMATION
\nFriday, January 2 \u2013\u00a0WATCH (ESPN+)<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0FOLLOW LIVE STATS<\/a><\/p>\n

SCOUTING THE TITANS<\/p>\n

\nDetroit Mercy enters Friday’s matchup at 4-8 on the season with a 2-1 mark in Horizon League play. The Titans opened Horizon League play with wins over Cleveland State and IU Indy before falling to Robert Morris on December 16. Last time out, the Titans came up short against Rochester Christian 80-86 on December 29.
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\nMakayla Jackson leads the Titans’ offense, averaging 13.1 points per game. The junior has scored 10+ points in eight of her 10 games this season, including the last six in a row. Jackson is coming off a season-high 23 and a career-high seven rebounds against Rochester Christian. Jasmine Edwards is second on the team, averaging 10.8 points per game, and leads the Titans in rebounds with 6.8 per game.<\/p>\n

HISTORY VS. DETROIT MERCY

\nFriday’s game will mark the 69th all-time meeting between Wright State and Detroit Mercy, a series the Raiders lead 39-29 all-time. The two teams split the series last season, with each team winning on its home court. The Raiders fell to the Titans 55-67 in Detroit before taking them down 67-64 in the Nutter Center later in the season.

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\nLAST TIME OUT

\nThe Raiders dropped their final contest of the 2025 calendar year Tuesday night in the Nutter Center, falling to Green Bay 55-89.

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\nBreezie Williams<\/a> and Abbie Riddle<\/a> both finished with double-digit points Tuesday night. Williams led the Raiders with 20 points on 57% shooting and knocked down three shots from beyond the arc. Riddle finished with a career-high 15 points on 67% shooting. Riddle also set a new career-high with six made field goals and tied a career-high in three pointers made with two. \u00a0Olivia Brown<\/a> and Williams tied for the team lead in assists with three apiece. Brown also tied for the team high in rebounds with Claire Henson<\/a>, as the pair each snagged five rebounds.

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\nWilliams started the game on fire for the Raiders, scoring 10 of the Raiders’ 15 first-quarter points as the teams exchanged buckets early before Green Bay went on a 13-0 run to end the first quarter and start the second quarter. The Phoenix would ride that momentum to outscore the Raiders by 23 in the first half.

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\nWright State battled in the second half, but Green Bay kept its foot on the gas pedal, outscoring the Raiders by 11 in the final 20 minutes.

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\nJenna Guyer powered the Phoenix on Tuesday night with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Guyer shot an efficient 75% from the floor, knocking down nine of her 12 shots. Gracie Grzesk and Meghan Schultz also finished in double digits, with Grzesk finishing with 15 points and Schultz finishing with 10. Green Bay dominated the Raiders in the paint, outrebounding the Raiders by 18, snagging 40 total rebounds. The Phoenix capitalized on its nine offensive rebounds, turning them into 12 second-chance points. Green Bay also held a 34-point scoring advantage in the paint.

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\nHORIZON LEAGUE RANKS

\nThe Raiders are second in the league with 1,000 points and scoring a sixth-best 66.7 points per game. The Raiders are getting it done from beyond the three-point line, shooting 31.9% and knocking down a league high 7.9 three-pointers per game, followed by Purdue Fort Wayne at 7.6 per game.

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\nBALL SECURITY IS JOB SECURITY

\nThe Wright State offense has been taking care of the ball this season, averaging 13.5 turnovers per game, which is 43rd in the nation and in the Horizon League. The Raiders also boast a 2.33 turnover margin, which ranks third-best in the Horizon League.

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\nBREEZIE LIKE A SUNDAY MORNING

\nSenior guard Breezie Williams<\/a> has made an immediate impact for the Raiders, averaging 11.7 points, 2.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game across her first 15 games in a Raider uniform. The Canton, Ohio, native is shooting 39.3% from the floor and 32.8% from three-point range. The senior is also getting it done on the defensive end of the floor, averaging 2.1 steals per game. Williams is 13th in the Horizon League in points per game (11.7) and tied for fourth in steals per game (2.1). The Bryant transfer had a breakout performance on the road at Tennessee State, dropping a new career-high 27 points with three assists, three rebounds, and two blocks.\u00a0 She followed up her career night in Nashville with a 20-point performance against Wilberforce in just 14 minutes of action. Williams also finished one rebound and one steal short of a triple-double at Florida Atlantic, finishing with a career-high nine steals and a season-high nine rebounds.

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\nRIDDLE ME THIS

\nRedshirt sophomore Abbie Riddle<\/a> has emerged as a key contributor for the Raiders in conference play, starting the last four games against Canisius, Youngstown State, Kentucky, and Green Bay. Riddle turned in back-to-back double-digit scoring outings against Kentucky and Green Bay. The Baltimore, Ohio native scored 10 points in just eight minutes on December 19 at Kentucky, shooting 4-5 from the floor and a perfect 2-2 from behind the arc. She followed up her performance in Lexington with a career night in the Nutter Center on December 29, scoring 15 points on 6-9 shooting and knocking down a pair of three-pointers.

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\nRYLEE FROM RANGE

\nRedshirt sophomore guard Rylee Sagester<\/a> is not only one of the best three-point shooters in the Horizon League but is one of the best in the country. The Alexandria, Ohio native is shooting a stellar 42.1% from beyond the arc, which is a team best and second in the Horizon League. Nationally, Sagester is tied for 73rd in three-pointers made with 32 and is 152nd in three-pointers per game with 2.1. Sagester’s 32 three-pointers sit her tied for second in the Horizon League standings with Youngstown State’s Casey Santoro. Sagester has made more than one three-pointer in eight of the Raiders’ 15 games, highlighted by a pair of games with five made threes against Wilberforce and Bellarmine.\u00a0

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\nCLAIRE CRASHING THE BOARDS

\nClaire Henson<\/a> has been active in the paint for the Raiders, snagging 110 rebounds so far this season. Henson is third in the Horizon League with 7.3 rebounds per game. The senior grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds against Ohio on November 22, topping her previous high of 12 against Bellarmine earlier this season. The senior has grabbed eight or more rebounds in eight of Wright State’s 15 games.

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\nHenson also has a team and conference high of three double-doubles. The senior has recorded double-doubles against Bellarmine (13 pts. and 12 reb.), Ohio (17 pts. and 15 reb.), and Oakland (17 pts. and 10 reb.). Chloe Chard Peloquin<\/a> recorded the only other double-double for the Raiders in the season opener against Butler (15 pts. and 11 rebs.).

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\nRECORD-BREAKING HOME OPENER

\nThe Raiders set a new program best for points scored in a single game with 122 points. Their first time eclipsing 100 points since November 10, 2017, against Northwestern (OH).

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\nThe Raiders led wire-to-wire, taking the lead just 19 seconds into the game and never looking back.\u00a0 Breezie Williams<\/a> led all players in points for the second game in a row, following up her 27-point performance with another 20-point performance in just 14 minutes. Ellie Magestro-Kennedy<\/a> (17), Elaina Rager<\/a> (17), Rylee Sagester<\/a> (17), and Grace Okih<\/a> (16) all scored double-digits, with Okih and Rager setting new career highs. All 11 available Raiders saw action on the court tonight, with each player scoring at least four points.

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\nWright State was making it rain from downtown, tying the program record in three-pointers made with 18. The Raiders did it while shooting an impressive 47.4% from beyond the arc.

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\nSIZING UP THE 2025-26 SQUAD

\nThe Raiders return nine players from last season while adding four newcomers (two transfers and two freshmen).

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\nThe squad features four seniors, three juniors, four sophomores, and two freshmen. The roster also expands not only across the nation, with four different states represented (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin), but across the globe, with three international student-athletes (England, Nigeria, Sweden).

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\nUP NEXT

\nWright State will hit the road for a pair of Horizon League road tests next week. The Raiders will take on Cleveland State on Wednesday, January 7, before heading over to IU Indy on Sunday, January 11.

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