Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State coach Scott Nagy was appreciative of the season-high 6,233 fans who flocked to the Nutter Center for the Horizon League showdown with Northern Kentucky on Friday. The “Blackout” promotion was a hit, helping to create a big-game atmosphere.
But he also was leery that his players — who were clad in black alternative uniforms — might be too hyped up and, like a boxer going for a first-round knockout, not have enough energy for the long haul.
That looked to be the case when the Norse jumped out to a 16-point first-half lead.
“You get so excited, and then the game starts, and you go flat,” he said. “I coached in a game four or five years ago — a big game — where we started out (down) 20-0 at home. But we were ahead by halftime, which might be the most unbelievable thing ever.
“I thought our players did a good job of not panicking. We called that timeout and got them settled down. We got it to five at the half, and we knew it was a game.”
Though they may not have had the pep they needed at the start, the Raiders showed plenty of fight at the finish to pull out a 81-77 win and climb into a first-place tie with NKU with four games to go.
Bill Wampler tossed in a career-high 29 points and Loudon Love had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way.
Wright State, which shot 58.6 percent in the first half and 54.7 overall, has won eight of its last nine games to improve to 16-11 overall and 10-4 in the league. NKU, which shot 61.3 percent in the first half and 50 overall, is 20-7, 10-4.
