A Tanner Holden jumper capped a 9-0 run to give the Raiders (0-1) a 45-35 lead. But the Thundering Herd (2-0) raced in front, 48-47, at 12:09 on a put-back by Taevion Kinsey for its first lead since the opening minutes.
The lead just kept growing from there. A dunk by Kinsey, an All-Conference USA guard, made it 60-49 with 7:21 to go.
The Herd, picked third in the league preseason poll, outscored the Raiders, 25-4, in that span and never let the home team get closer than four after that. Kinsey had a game-high 31 points.
Senior center Loudon Love had 11 points and 16 rebounds for the Raiders. Sophomore Trey Calvin, making his starting debut at point guard, had a team-high 16 points and three steals.
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