“I’m not a very good coach when we get big leads like that,” he said. “I get mad and angry and say things I shouldn’t say and hurt feelings. We come into the locker room after the game, and everybody is kind of licking their wounds because of my sharp tongue. I have to do a lot of apologizing and asking for forgiveness for what I say.
“None of our players should be walking away feel bad or feeling sorry for themselves. It was such a great team win. We obviously played great in the first half, which led to kind of a clunky, weird second half. But this is the team picked to win the MAC. They’re a dang-good basketball team. For us to win and win in that fashion is a really good sign for our program.”
The Raiders shot 67% in the first half and 55% for the game.
They bludgeoned their hosts on the boards, 48-29.
They protected the ball like a Faberge Egg, committing just five turnovers in the first half. They had 12 more after halftime when the game was out of reach.
They built an astonishing 38-point lead early in the second half before settling for an 85-67 win.
Since giving up 51 second-half points and losing 80-64 in their opener against Marshall, the Raiders have been dominant defensively, limiting Miami and BG to a combined 31.1% shooting from the field and 30.2 on 3′s.
Nagy believes he knows why the Raiders have begun to play so well. Dealing with COVID-19 disruptions, he rarely had his full squad during preseason practice.
About half the roster was in quarantine at one point and didn’t return until two days before the first game. After that, they had one day together to get ready for their next outing.
But they had a full week to prepare for the Falcons, and it clearly was time well spent.
“It was the best thing that could have happened,” Nagy said of the high concentration of practices. “We had some contact (from other teams) about a game in between there. We thought about it. But we said, ‘More than a game, we need to practice because of those two weeks we sat out.’
“It feels like we’ve gotten into kind of midseason form. Everyone has gotten into the shape we need them to be.”
Nagy also is getting to know his personnel better and what combinations work.
Grant Basile, a 6-9 sophomore, came off the bench and played 29 minutes — his most ever as a sub. He was paired often with 6-8 star Loudon Love, and that towering tandem will create plenty of stress for future opponents. They combined for 28 points and 27 rebounds against BG. Love, who became the program’s al-time leading rebounder on Sunday, was named as a co-player of the week in the Horizon League on Monday.
Nagy also has settled on a back-up for point guard Trey Calvin. Alex Huibregtse, a 6-3 freshman from Grafton, Wis., has committed just two turnovers in 52 minutes over three games.
“We’ve got a good lineup of seven solid guys. And then, based on matchups, other guys will play for us,” Nagy said.
No one benefitted more from the week of workouts than junior wing Jaylon Hall, who seemed fatigued in the first two games but matched his career high of 17 points against BG. After missing his first nine shots to start the season, he’s gone 7 of 13 from the field, including four 3′s.
“Jaylon had a really good week of practice. His head was right. He was back working hard, and it showed up in the game,” Nagy said. “When you think about him, those first two games we played, he was coming off a two-week hiatus of just sitting around, so it does take a little bit of time to get your rhythm back.
“That was as good as I’ve seen him play. It helps to have another guard like that playing well. It adds another dimension to our offense.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Wright State at Detroit Mercy, 2 p.m., ESPN3, 106.5
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