Averaging 20 points per game, Trey Calvin was getting harassed and double-teamed throughout the first half. The Raiders shot just 45.5% and went only 2 of 10 on 3′s — an acceptable effort for most teams, but far below the standards of the nation’s field-goal-shooting leaders — and trailed, 38-37, at the break.
Nagy moved the 6-foot Calvin to the baseline against the Grizzlies’ zone and made 6-6 Tanner Holden the point guard. And as Nagy put it, “We just exploded in the second half.”
The Raiders scored 59 points and shot 66.7% after halftime in the 96-75 road victory Sunday — even though Calvin was held to 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting for the day.
They have five players averaging 11.6 points or better, making them almost immune to gimmick defenses.
“With Trey up top, everybody can see him, and they’re trapping him and putting two defenders on the ball. They’re just counting on, ‘We’re going to make other people beat us,’” Nagy said.
“They didn’t know where he was and were a little unsure about how to make the adjustment. We had people running around wide open all over the place — because they were so focused on Trey.”
The attention was warranted. Calvin is 10th on the Horizon League’s all-time scoring list with 2,083 points, just behind Green Bay’s Keifer Sykes, who had 2,096 from 2011-15, and UIC’s Cedrick Banks, who had 2,097 from 2001-05.
Calvin also is fourth on the program’s all-time assist list. He trails Vernard Hollins (2000-04) at 472, Lenny Lyons (1984-87) at 571 and Mark Woods (1988-93) at 744.
“Tanner is bigger, and he was able to see over the top of the zone. We were able to throw it inside. And because we shot it better, they were a little more spread out themselves,” Nagy said.
The Raiders have won five of their last six games and are 17-12 overall and 12-6 in the league.
They went 7-3 on the road in the league this season. They’ve never had a losing road record in HL games in Nagy’s eight years, but only the Loudon Love-led 2020-21 squad was better, going 8-2.
Wright State hosts Purdue Fort Wayne (18-11, 9-9) at 7 p.m. Wednesday and finishes the regular-season at home against Northern Kentucky (16-13, 11-7) at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Oakland (19-11, 14-5) has already claimed a share of the crown and can win the outright title by beating Detroit Mercy (1-28, 1-17) at home Saturday.
The Raiders are on a program-record pace in shooting at 53.4%, and they’ve scored 90 points or more 12 times.
They’ve gone whole seasons without reaching 90 even once. The last team with more games of 90 or more was the 1992-93 squad, which did it 15 times.
“The kids have done a great job. When I look at somebody like Trey who was willing to not press and not take too many shots because he’s worried about his average, that goes such a long way,” Nagy said.
“To care more about winning than you do your stats, that’s what you’ve got to have.”
Noel honored by Horizon League after two stellar games
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Purdue Fort Wayne at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
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