In a 75-64 win over Oakland before 3,687 fans, they hounded the Grizzlies into 0-for-11 shooting after falling behind, 57-53, with 9:58 to go and finished the game on a 16-3 run.
“In that four- to six-minute mark when games have been close, it’s been a struggle for us this year. And I was proud of the guys because they stuck with it,” Nagy said.
“Our defense is getting there. It’s getting to where it gives us a chance to be a championship team.”
Trey Calvin scored 10 of his team’s first 12 points and finished with 23. Grant Basile had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Tanner Holden 19 points and nine boards.
“I was feeling it in warmups. They played a zone, and my teammates found me in an open spot. I just jumped up and shot it, and, fortunately, they went in,” Calvin said.
Nagy, though, lauded Tim Finke for his five points, eight rebounds, seven assists and defensive effort on Jamal Cain, a Marquette transfer who was third in the league in scoring (19.9) and first in rebounding (10.3).
Plagued by foul trouble, Cain had 13 points and 11 boards with Finke constantly on his hip.
“He’s the MVP of the game for me,” Nagy said.
Another surprise standout was Keaton Norris. The Raiders went with a seven-man rotation, and Norris hit a 3 with 3:10 to go for a six-point lead, which Nagy called “the biggest shot of the game.”
The freshman point guard had nine points and just two turnovers in 30 minutes, and his presence seemed to free up Calvin to be assertive on offense.
“It gives us two good point guards on the floor. I typically don’t like small lineups. But Keaton is playing well,” Nagy said.
The Raiders looked to be out of the league race after an ugly home loss to Cleveland State on Jan. 28. But a lot has changed in a nine-day span.
They’ve won three straight games to hike their conference record to 11-4, while CSU is 11-2 with a home game Sunday against Milwaukee (5-9), and Oakland is 9-3.
Northern Kentucky has wins over Cleveland State and Oakland but fell to 8-5 after a home loss to Detroit Mercy on Saturday.
“For a while, it looked like we were out for the count,” Calvin said. “But we kept working every day. Emotionally, we never kept our heads down — and look where we’re at right now.”
Both teams were playing their second game in two nights because of postponements Thursday. And the Grizzlies had an especially grueling weekend opener, losing at NKU in overtime after blowing a 16-point lead.
They rode their starters almost the whole way with three of them playing all 45 minutes.
Nagy thought fatigue showed up at the end for Oakland, which started 24 of 45 from the field before their late brick-fest.
“When we’re playing back-to-back, I’d rather be at home for sure,” he said. “They’re jumping around in hotels. It’s not an easy weekend for them. I’m not giving anyone excuses. Both teams looked tired to me.”
The coaches, though, had plenty of energy.
Greg Kampe, who is in his 38th year at Oakland, was coming off a two-technical game at NKU and rode the refs from the start.
And Nagy became incensed over a couple of calls, too.
“Greg works the officials hard. He gets a lot of respect from them, which he should. And I felt like I had to match that with him,” Nagy said.
“I wouldn’t want to officiate in college. I think it’s a tough job. They do OK (financially). But I’d find it hard not to take everything personally because there are some things that get said. I come away always wanting to apologize for stupid stuff I said.”
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Wright State at Green Bay, 8 p.m., Wednesday, ESPN+, 980
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