WSU made 16 of 66 field-goal attemtps, a marksmanship rate of 24 percent. The Raiders sank 6 of 23 3-pointers but heated up with three in the final seven minutes. By then it was too late as the Nittany Lions led by 27 when Mike La Tulip hit the Raiders’ final 3-pointer with 3:51 left.
“I thought the first half was the worst half we’ve played all year — until I saw the second half,” Nagy said. “The bad offense took the heart out of our defense.
“I take the blame for it. I didn’t have the guys ready.”
Mark Alstork led Wright State with 15 points while Justin Mitchell and Steven Davis added nine each. Mitchell led the Raiders with 11 rebounds.
Penn State coach Pat Chambers had been worried about the Raiders, specifically their ability to shoot 3-pointers with pinpoint accuracy and fill hoops at a clip of nearly 83 points per game.
“I probably watched six out of their nine games,” Chambers said. “They can really fill it up. A team like that really scares me, and man, these guys really stepped up.”
Shep Garner scored 17 points and Payton Banks added 15 for the Nittany Lions (6-3), who won their fourth straight.
Penn State led for all but 56 seconds and pulled away after leading 29-26 at halftime. The Nittany Lions opened the second half with a 13-2 run and steadily increased the lead. The Raiders weren’t able to pull closer than 13.
Wright State plays five of its next six on the road including the Horizon League opener against Oakland on Dec. 29. The Raiders are at Loyola (Illinois) on Wednesday.
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