When those numbers were relayed to coach Scott Nagy, he groaned and said, “It was such a bad start — terrible, awful.”
But Nagy and the Raiders came home from the Gulf Coast Showcase on Thanksgiving feeling much more upbeat after they blasted Illinois State, 74-49, on Wednesday to go 2-1 on the trip and finish in third place.
“There were a lot of good things. I’m happy to come out 2-1. I feel like we played better the last game,” Nagy said.
“We feel a lot better about ourselves — the team does. And that’s a good thing. I didn’t overreact to the loss (Tuesday). It’d be easy for me to overreact, but I don’t think my assistants would let me.”
The Raiders’ title hopes were dashed in an 85-76 semifinal loss to Hofstra. They let a 10-point halftime lead slip away and were out-scored in the second-half, 47-28.
Hofstra beat High Point, 97-92, in overtime to win the title.
“We finally guarded somebody. We just guarded so well,” Nagy said of the tourney finale.
They held the Redbirds to 15-of-54 shooting. The 27.8% field-goal clip is the lowest for a Raider foe since the Miami RedHawks hit 27.3% on Dec. 5, 2020.
“Our kids were pretty locked in, and I think Illinois State was flat, too,” Nagy said. “When you play three days in a row, and you’re coming off a loss, it’s hard to get past it.
“That was my concern with our team. Everybody’s tired, and you have to find a way to be emotionally involved. It isn’t easy. And our kids did a good job of it.”
Star guard Trey Calvin scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half after finishing with just 11 a day earlier. He had 26 in the quarterfinal win over Louisiana.
“The game is just so easy for him,” Nagy said. “I knew he’d play well. He was upset with himself after Tuesday. I knew he’d be locked in, and he was from the start.”
Forward Brandon Noel scored just 22 total points in the first three games but finished with 16, 17 and 19 in the tourney.
“Brandon is starting to come around, which is important for us,” Nagy said. “Our bench is doing better. I feel like we’re all trying to do our best to pull in the same direction.
“We had two starters who really struggled the whole game (against Illinois State) — and we were still able to win. That’s a good thing.”
Center A.J. Braun had just four points and no rebounds after two strong games to begin the tourney (30 total points, 16 boards). Nagy chalked that up to fatigue.
But Tanner Holden had only three points and finished the three games with a total of 24. That’s a little more of a puzzler.
Holden, of course, is making his return to Wright State after transferring to Ohio State for one season.
He averaged 20.1 points in 2021-22 and was a first-team all-league pick. But Calvin and Noel emerged as go-to players in his absence, and the Raiders seem to still be figuring out their new roles.
“It hasn’t been a smooth transition yet. But I knew it wouldn’t be the same for him,” Nagy said.
“Leaving and coming back never was going to be the same. I think it’ll take a while, but we’re not concerned with it.”
Holden’s only solid game so far was a 24-point effort at Indiana. But Calvin was sidelined with a shoulder injury, and Holden could adopt his old role as the lead scorer.
In the other five games, he averaged 11 points while going 18 of 42 from the field (42.9%).
“We’re still not struggling to score,” Nagy said. “Where we need to get it together — and where we need Tanner to get it together — is on the defensive end. He could be a dominate defender if he’d make that his focus.”
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
IUPUI at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 1290, 95.7
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