This time it was 88-81.
“When I say tough, I don’t necessarily mean physical. I also mean, when things aren’t going well, will we be able to fight through that and sustain it.
“I think that’s what this team struggles with, maybe more than anything.”
That was certainly the case Thursday night in the Nutter Center, just as it was down the stretch in the Raiders last game at Youngstown State.
With those two straight losses, the underachieving Raiders are now 9-10 on the season.
Green Bay had not won in the Nutter Center in nine years, Last year the Phoenix were 3-25. The two seasons before that they went 5-25 and 8-17.
On Dec. 29, Wright State lost 88-77 at Green Bay, so this is the first time the Phoenix have swept their two regular season games from the Raiders since the 2014-15 season.
A big reason is that in both games the Phoenix had the best player on the floor in 6-foot-3 junior guard Noah Reynolds, a transfer portal pick-up from Wyoming.
He scored 39 points on 14 for 19 shooting, including 5 treys in 6 attempts, in the first game. And Thursday night he scored a game-high 30 points while adding eight rebounds and eight assists without a turnover.
He leads the Horizon League in scoring, averaging 19.7 points per game, which is just ahead of WSU’s Trey Calvin at 19.3.
After Thursday’s game, Nagy had nothing but praise for Reynolds and the impact he’s had this season on Green Bay (12-8):
“They have one great, great guard and they’ve surrounded him with a bunch of heady players who are good shooters. Basketball, honestly, takes one guy who can change things. It’s a sport where one or two players can make an incredible difference.”
In Reynolds, the brother of Phoenix assistant coach Nic Reynolds, Green Bay has a player who can lift them; a guy other players look to and rally around in tough moments. He had 32 points in a victory four days earlier against Cleveland State and 31 in a come-from-behind, two-point triumph at UIC.
Too often this season, Wright State has seemed to lack that one guy who elevates them.
In the past there were several times Calvin carried the team.
And two seasons ago — before he jumped to Ohio State last year and then returned to WSU for this season — Tanner Holden was often that guy.
Both fifth-year players, they have been tremendous offensive players over the years. Holden has 1,908 career points when you combine his WSU and Ohio State totals. Calvin has 1,898, all at Wright State.
But this season, just scoring points — no matter who does it — isn’t enough.
Something’s missing and you heard it in the postgame comments of a couple of players who met with the media and Nagy.
“We were extremely flat in the first half — emotionally,” Nagy said.
“We didn’t t have any juice at all,” he said of a second-half lull that forced him to go to the bench.
“We really weren’t ready for the game,” Brandon Noel, the sophomore forward said.
One big reason for Wright State’s problems on the court is its defense, or better yet, its lack of it.
The Raiders are ranked last in the Horizon League, giving up 80.4 points per game. That ranks them 339th of the nation’s 351 Division I teams.
“We have talent, but it’s offensive talent,” Nagy said. “We need some defensive talent.”
Thursday night the Raiders offense faltered, as well. They went 5-for-20 from three-point range. They trailed for just over 33 of the game’s 40 minutes and at one point were down by 17.
Though WSU did cut the margin to four on an Alex Huibregtse lay-up with 2:13 left, Green Bay then put the ball in Reynolds’ hands, and he scored four of his team’s final six points to seal the victory.
After the game Noel — who had a solid game with 17 points and 12 rebounds — admitted his team isn’t meeting anyone’s expectations:
“We just seem to take one step forward and two steps back.”
He talked about the team’s lack of energy: “I don’t know. I wish it didn’t happen. It does perplex me. We’ve just got to turn the page and come in tomorrow with a good mindset.”
The team needs some good defenders and, right now, it especially needs a leader.
Nagy was asked if there was one player who can galvanize the dressing room. He thought for a couple seconds and finally offered someone the uninitiated might not expect. It wasn’t either of his marquee players:
“It’s a little bit of a battle. Probably Alex (Huibregtse) is the guy for us.”
After the game, as he stood with family and friends near the court, the redshirt junior guard was asked about that role:
“We’ve got a lot of guys on the more quiet side on this team and my personality is more outgoing.
“This team really needs somebody to step up and be more of a vocal leader, and pull people up, so I’m trying to do that. It’s something I’m definitely not perfect at, but I’m working to get better at it. We need somebody to speak up and bring as much energy as they can.”
So Thursday night was not a complete wash for the Raiders:
- There was Huibregtse’s realization the team needs someone to boost them and his effort to fill that void.
- There was Noel’s fourth double-double of the season.
- And there was 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman Drey Carter, who came off the bench and gave the team a lift, hitting 5 of 6 shots for 11 points.
With such a short list, Nagy searched for another positive:
“I was pleased our guys didn’t quit.”
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’s something.
Saturday night the Raiders host Milwaukee, a team that beat them 91-83 on New Year’s Eve.
“That will be a test of our character to come back Saturday emotionally,” Nagy said.
“Can we bounce back from this?
“It will be interesting.”
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