He tallied 22 points from the end of the first half to 5:44 of the second — more than a point per minute. He also yanked down 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double this season, matching last year’s total.
But he wasn’t a factor on offense in the crucial closing stretch, hardly touching the ball. And the Raiders failed to score in the final four minutes as a 76-72 lead morphed into an 80-76 defeat.
Why not just feed the hot hand the rest of the way? After all, the 6-foot-8 Noel is the preseason Horizon League player of the year for a reason.
Actually, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
“Getting him the ball sometimes can be the problem if your go-to guy is a ‘big,’” coach Clint Sargent said, meaning a front-court player.
“Late in the game, you can deny him, and it’s hard to get a catch. Typically, late, it’s going to be a dynamic ball-in-hand playmaker who can do both (drive and shoot). That’s where with Brandon, sometimes it’s hard to let him shine in those moments.”
The Raiders did try to get him the ball at least once, but a wing pass from Alex Huibregtse had too much zip, and it bounced off Noel’s hand out of bounds.
Of the six shots they tried during that four-minute scoreless stretch, Solomon Callaghan, Jack Doumbia and Huibregtse each took two.
“When we try to get Brandon the ball in the post, our turnover rate is incredible,” Sargent said. “Whatever that is, even to start the second half when we know it’s going to Brandon, it’s turned over.
“When we get the catches (by him) — and I’ve seen this the whole year — they’re organic. They just happen.”
Noel went 10 of 14 from the field, and he would have scored even more if his foul shooting was up to its usual standards.
He was hitting 78.9% but went 2 of 7.
“Some of the time, I was in the right spot at the right time. (There were) a couple good transition plays from our guards. Our wings got up the floor, and I was left open, and they were able to find me,” Noel said of his scoring spree.
“Their defense tightened up a little bit at the end, and that wasn’t able to happen again.”
NKU’s zone made pathways to Noel hard to find — especially since he primarily scores at the rim or on 3′s.
“Getting him the ball in crunch time hasn’t been a big part of what we’ve been doing,” Sargent said.
“Some of that’s on me and how we execute, and some of it is a pattern I’ve seen the whole year. Whether it’s at the elbow or in the post, we’re having a hard time getting him the ball.”
The top five seeds for the Horizon League tourney have been all but clinched, though the order won’t be decided until the end of the regular-season Saturday.
Robert Morris (14-5), Cleveland State (13-5), Youngstown State (13-6), Milwaukee (12-6) and Purdue Fort Wayne (12-6) are on pace for first-round byes with the top four hosting quarterfinal games. No. 5 opens the tourney at No. 4.
The Raiders, who are 13-16 overall and 7-11 in the league, appear likely to end up with the eighth seed. That means they would open the tourney at home at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, against either IU Indy (5-13) or Detroit Mercy (4-14).
They host Cleveland State at 9 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2 and then play at IU Indy at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
“Our biggest games are still ahead of us. March is the time — not saying these (regular-season) games don’t matter, don’t hear me wrong — but those games are the most important,” Noel said.
“They lead to our ultimate goal of making the NCAA tournament. And I believe we can do it.”
THURSDAY’S GAME
Cleveland State at Wright State, 9 p.m., ESPN2, 101.5, 1410
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