The Raiders, 6-1, are three wins from tying the school record for best start since the program moved to Division I in 1987. The 2000-01 Raiders opened the season 9-1 en route to an 18-11 campaign under Ed Schilling.
“We are all over the place at different times,” Nagy said. “But we have a highly emotional team with a highly emotional coach and when you have that, that happens.
“I thought in the first half, we spent way too much time whining to the officials and when that happens, it is because you are getting whipped. And we were getting whipped. I thought the second half we were much more aggressive and made more plays.”
The first half was not without bright spots for the Raiders even though they trailed 36-34 at the break.
Wright State held North Dakota to 39-percent shooting from the floor and made a late run to trim a nine-point deficit to two.
“We work every day to get better defensively,” Steven Davis said after finishing with a game-high 23 points. “We have been working to get their percentages down and if our offense is going, then we have a chance to win every night.”
With leading scorer Mark Alstork held to 10 points, all from the line, Davis and Grant Benzinger stepped up. Benzinger’s 3-pointer with 4:23 remaining gave the Raiders the lead for good, 65-63, as part of a 14-1 run that turned a 62-56 deficit into a 70-63 lead with 2:31 remaining.
“Mark has shown the first five games he is capable of dropping 30 every night,” Benzinger said. “But, being unselfish, he doesn’t care if he scores at all if we win and he was getting everyone else involved. For everyone else to step in and do work feels great.”
Justin Mitchell added 16 points for the Raiders.
Wright State out-rebounded North Dakota 39-32 with Davis, Benzinger and Mitchell each grabbing six boards.
“It wasn’t an unbelievable effort on the boards, but I’ll take it,” Nagy said. “When we absolutely needed to get stops, we got the ones we needed.”
Up next: The Raiders will face North Florida in the final game of the three-game Men Against Breast Cancer Classic presented by Premier Health at 4:30 p.m. today.
North Florida is 1-1 on the weekend heading into the finale, having defeated North Dakota 76-75 and lost to CSU Bakersfield 77-54. Dallas Moore has had the hot hand for North Florida in the first two games, scoring 20 against North Dakota and 19 in the loss.
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