Raiders tip off league play on three-game losing skid
WSU has fallen short of 60 points in four of past five contests.
While the rest of the team went into a shooting slump Tuesday at Southern Illinois, junior guard Jaron Taylor turned in one of his better nights.
He made three of four shots from the field, including two 3-pointers.
And, for the first time this season, he did it coming off the bench after being replaced in the starting lineup by Zakee Boyd.
"We needed a little shake-up," said Taylor, a junior signed out of junior college. "It wasn't like that (not starting) was much of a surprise, but it wasn't a downer. I'm trying not to be selfish. I'm trying to fit into the offense. I want to do whatever needs to be done."
What the Raiders need right now is more offense.
The team has a three-game losing streak and the 42 points scored against the Salukis was WSU's lowest point total in four years.
Overall, the Raiders are 4-5, which is better than Youngstown State, the first foe on the Horizon League part of the schedule. The Penguins are 2-5 after losing five straight.
YSU, which lost 79-78 in four overtimes Tuesday against Siena, has averaged just 54.2 points in regulation while allowing 73.4 in those five games.
Taylor probably won't light up the arena with his scoring, but until recently, he hasn't had to. The Raiders have had plenty of scoring. Now, they've been held to 59 or fewer points in four of their past five games.
"I want to try being more aggressive," Taylor said. "That doesn't mean shooting the ball more. It just means trying to be more aggressive in everything. Sometimes I might think I'm open, but someone else might be a little more open."
Maybe the Raiders have just been playing better teams. Only Tulsa (2-3), Brown (4-4), Toledo (1-4) and Northeastern (3-4) do not have winning records among the teams WSU has played. Overall, the nine WSU opponents are 37-24.
It probably will not get easier in league play.
"This is really a very balanced league," said Detroit's Perry Watson, the dean of Horizon coaches at 11 years. "We were picked fourth in (Commissioner) Jon LeCrone's poll, and we think we have a team that's better than that. We just have to wait and prove it.
"The strength of this league has always been the coaches. Players come and go, but there have always been good coaches. Even with the coaches we have lost in the last couple years, coaches like Rollie Massimino (Cleveland State) and Larry Farmer (Chicago-Loyola), we have good coaches, and they prepare their teams well," Watson said.
"You have to protect your home court and win as many home games as you can because it's hard to go on the road and win in this league."
WSU has fallen short of 60 points in four of past five contests.
While the rest of the team went into a shooting slump Tuesday at Southern Illinois, junior guard Jaron Taylor turned in one of his better nights.
He made three of four shots from the field, including two 3-pointers.
And, for the first time this season, he did it coming off the bench after being replaced in the starting lineup by Zakee Boyd.
"We needed a little shake-up," said Taylor, a junior signed out of junior college. "It wasn't like that (not starting) was much of a surprise, but it wasn't a downer. I'm trying not to be selfish. I'm trying to fit into the offense. I want to do whatever needs to be done."
What the Raiders need right now is more offense.
The team has a three-game losing streak and the 42 points scored against the Salukis was WSU's lowest point total in four years.
Overall, the Raiders are 4-5, which is better than Youngstown State, the first foe on the Horizon League part of the schedule. The Penguins are 2-5 after losing five straight.
YSU, which lost 79-78 in four overtimes Tuesday against Siena, has averaged just 54.2 points in regulation while allowing 73.4 in those five games.
Taylor probably won't light up the arena with his scoring, but until recently, he hasn't had to. The Raiders have had plenty of scoring. Now, they've been held to 59 or fewer points in four of their past five games.
"I want to try being more aggressive," Taylor said. "That doesn't mean shooting the ball more. It just means trying to be more aggressive in everything. Sometimes I might think I'm open, but someone else might be a little more open."
Maybe the Raiders have just been playing better teams. Only Tulsa (2-3), Brown (4-4), Toledo (1-4) and Northeastern (3-4) do not have winning records among the teams WSU has played. Overall, the nine WSU opponents are 37-24.
It probably will not get easier in league play.
"This is really a very balanced league," said Detroit's Perry Watson, the dean of Horizon coaches at 11 years. "We were picked fourth in (Commissioner) Jon LeCrone's poll, and we think we have a team that's better than that. We just have to wait and prove it.
"The strength of this league has always been the coaches. Players come and go, but there have always been good coaches. Even with the coaches we have lost in the last couple years, coaches like Rollie Massimino (Cleveland State) and Larry Farmer (Chicago-Loyola), we have good coaches, and they prepare their teams well," Watson said.
"You have to protect your home court and win as many home games as you can because it's hard to go on the road and win in this league."
