Wright State coach Billy Donlon wanted a challenge to start off the 2013-14 season.
Donlon got more than he bargained for as the Raiders fell to Division II foe Findlay 80-76 in a preseason contest.
Findlay has pulled off upsets over Division I foes before. In 2007, the Oilers topped the defending national runner-ups Ohio State 70-68 in Columbus’ Schottenstein Center. The Oilers entered Friday’s game ranked No. 9 in the Division II poll.
“They are a good team, they wanted to win more than us tonight,” WSU forward A.J. Pacher said. “We have to go back to the drawing board and start over.”
It did not matter that Friday’s game was an exhibition, the Raiders were looking to win the contest. 
“A game is a game, just being a competitive person, if you don’t want to win a game like that, you don’t have a pulse,” Pacher said.
WSU had four players foul out during the course of Friday’s contest. The Raiders literally emptied the bench as WSU was down to five players in the final seconds of the game.
“Most teams win in college basketball because they out tough you and out think you and no body has done a better job of that than Findlay,” Donlon said. “We were out toughed in our own gym”
For a squad considered deep going into the season, the depth was tested against the Oilers. WSU missed senior Miles Dixon and junior Kendall Griffin who were injured. Both players participated in all 36 of WSU’s contests last season.
Dixon is questionable on whether he will play this season according to Donlon.
“You can’t control fouls, you can’t control injuries, stuff happens,” Pacher said. “You have to play with the guys you have. They were better than us tonight,”
Donlon agreed with Pacher’s sentiment.
“You just have to coach the guys you have that are available to you and you can’t worry about the rest of it because no one throws you pity parties in athletics,” Donlon said. “I do feel bad for the kids, I feel awful.”
Cole Darling, last year’s leading scorer, missed the final four minutes of Friday’s game with an apparent lower-leg injury. Donlon was unsure of the severity of Darling’s injury following Friday’s game.
Battling injuries throughout the preseason, forward Jerran Young was the first Raider to foul out. He had five fouls in just seven minutes of play.
The Raiders relied heavily on young players such as Mark Howell. Howell played 30 minutes and scored 13 points.
Findlay found easy buckets in the lane and attacked the Raiders’ wings. The Oilers shot 55.6 percent from the field throughout the contest.
“We couldn’t guard them,” Donlon said. 
Buckets were not as easy for WSU as it shot 37.3 percent from the field.
Despite trailing for most of Friday’s game, Wright State kept the Oilers’ lead to single digits. Findlay held a 42-37 halftime lead.
“That was not Wright State defense out there tonight,” WSU forward J.T. Yoho said. “It definitely has to improve from that. Our average last year 20 points lower than that.”
The Raiders rallied in the second half as Howell hit a 3-pointer with 9:21 left in the game to give WSU its first lead of the second half at 56-55.
Later in the half, Yoho hit a couple of shots in a row to give Wright State a 64-60 lead with 5:10 left. Yoho had a team-leading 19 points for the game.
But Findlay iced the game in the final minutes going on a 13-0 run to take a 73-64 lead with 2:43 left. The gap was too wide for the depleted Raiders to close.
“We learned it is not about talent,” Pacher said. “Last year’s team had a will to win and we wanted to win more than every other team we played and that is how we will win.”
The Raiders’ regular season opener is Nov. 10 against Mount St. Joseph.
Raiders ‘out toughed’ by D-II Findlay
Cole Darling being helped off the court after injuring his leg in the game's final moments.
Miles Dixon was merely a spectator for Friday night's exhibition game.
