Davis gave WSU a five-point lead with a 3-pointer with less than a minute to go and the Raiders held on. Guard Mike La Tulip, an Illinois transfer making his WSU debut, sank four straight free throws in the final minute to seal the outcome.
“The players are happy and they should be, but it’s not like we won the national championship or anything,” said Nagy, who coached at South Dakota State for 21 years before WSU hired him in April to replace Billy Donlon. “They know there’s a lot to work on.”
Nagy was displeased with his team’s defense; Southern Illinois shot 50 percent from the field. And 13 first-half turnovers, largely the result of not having a true point guard, annoyed him.
During the game there was this message on Nagy’s Twitter account: “We are doing a great job on the glass, but we need to do a better job taking care of the basketball.”
A head coach tweeting at halftime? That seemed to be a program first.
“That’s actually not me,” Nagy said. “One of my administrators did that. I’ve done that for a long time. Our fans like it. But I have better things to do than tweet at halftime.”
The Raiders shot 46.6 percent from the field, knocking down 27 of 58 shots, including 10 of 19 from beyond the arc.
La Tulip finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
Justin Mitchell grabbed 11 rebounds as WSU destroyed the Salukis on the boards, 41-25.
“That’s really what won the game,” Nagy said.
The Raiders also took better care of the ball in the second half, limiting their turnovers to five.
Next up is the renewal of the rivalry with Miami University on Tuesday at the Wright State Nutter Center. It’s the first of six nonconference home games for the Raiders.
“We’re excited about that,” Nagy said. “I haven’t had six nonconference home games since I can remember.”
Kings guard signs: The Raiders received a national letter of intent from 6-foot shooting guard Tyler Mitchell, who, as a junior at Kings High School, averaged 14.7 points, 4.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds while leading the Knights to the Eastern Cincinnati Conference championship.
“We are very fortunate to sign one of the top guards in the state of Ohio this year,” Nagy said. “Tyler should immediately impact our team because of his ability to handle, pass, and shoot the basketball. His toughness is also a quality that you can’t coach. His signing is a great start our 2016-17 recruiting class which will be the new foundation for our program.”
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