The Phoenix, picked to finish last in the conference after going 3-29 and 5-25 the last two seasons, won for the first time in nine years at the Nutter Center and also swept the season series with the Raiders for the first time since 2014-15.
They rode a 3-point barrage and a dazzling performance from league player of the year candidate Noah Reynolds to an 88-81 victory.
Reynolds, a 6-foot-3 junior guard who played at Wyoming the last two years, had 30 points after scoring 39 in the first meeting. And Green Bay, which is 12-8 overall and tied for first in the league at 7-2, went a scorching 15 of 28 on 3′s.
But the Raiders (9-10, 4-4) also couldn’t match the visitors in intensity, which was a major factor in the outcome.
“For whatever reason, we were extremely flat in the first half emotionally. You look for explanations, and there’s no reason to really look for one because you’re not going to be able to say what it was,” Nagy said.
“Coming back home and playing a team that had beaten us, you’d think we would have been better emotionally, and we weren’t.”
The Raiders were just 5 of 20 on 3′s, and usual stalwarts Trey Calvin and Tanner Holden were a combined 2 of 11 from the field in the first 12 minutes.
The Phoenix built a 39-29 halftime lead and stretched it to 17 early in the second half.
The Raiders got it under 10 on a Calvin 3 with 8:52 to go.
They cut it to seven on an inside bucket by Holden with 7:17 left.
When Drey Carter knifed his way to a three-point play at 5:55, it was 71-65.
But Green Bay answered every bucket down the stretch.
“I was proud of the guys for not quitting because it didn’t look very good,” Nagy said. “I thought our bench gave us a nice lift in the second half.
“(Green Bay) shot the ball extremely well. They have such a good guard in Reynolds, and we didn’t get either one of them taken away — either him or their 3′s. When they shoot it like that, it’s going to be hard to beat them.”
Calvin finished with 19. Brandon Noel had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Carter chipped in 11 and Alex Huibregtse and A.J. Braun 10 each.
The Raiders had a three-game winning streak stopped at Youngstown State in their last outing, imploding in the second half.
“We take one step forward and two steps back sometimes,” Noel said. “We had a good stretch on the road, and we continued that into most of Youngstown State. But toward the end, we just kind of lost it.
“We came in tonight with the same (lack of) energy that we had at the end of Youngstown State. I wish that didn’t happen, but it did.”
The Raiders went into the game 339th in the nation in points allowed at 80.0 per game. Green Bay is the 12th opponent in 19 games to score 81 or more.
“We’re just not — and it’s been the same thing all year — good enough defensively,” said Nagy, whose team scored 52 points in the second half but gave up 49.
“You’ve got to give Green Bay a lot of credit. They played well.”
NEW GAME TIME: The Raiders will host Youngstown State on ESPNU at 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Milwaukee at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN+, 101.5, 1410
About the Author