Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State has dominated Green Bay in recent seasons, winning five straight games. But with a chance to clinch a share of the Horizon League title, the Raiders couldn’t generate the intensity they needed while falling on the road, 70-67.
Sandy Cohen III, a preseason first-team all-conference pick, had 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocks and the revenge-minded Phoenix put together a stifling defensive effort Thursday.
Sophomore center Loudon Love had 21 points and nine rebounds — moving into a tie for 10th on the Raiders’ all-time rebounding list with 576 in just two years — but the other four starters shot a combined 6 of 24.
After watching his players compete during spirited practices this week, Wright State coach Scott Nagy believed they’d be ready to play, especially with so much at stake. But except for a late spurt that made the game close, they were overmatched in the effort department.
“We were so soft tonight,” Nagy said on his post-game radio show. “In the first half, we couldn’t have played any worse, and they couldn’t have played any better. There was nothing we could run. We didn’t run anything right. Our kids just had one of those deer-in-the-headlights moments. You’d think that wouldn’t be the case, but it was.”
Nagy felt those five straight losses in the series were motivation for the Phoenix (16-14, 10-7).
“I thought the biggest factor was how many times we’d beaten these guys — Sandy Cohen had never beaten us until tonight — and it either makes kids tight where they can’t get over that hump. Or they say, ‘That’s enough, and I’m going to do something about it.’ I think you saw a Green Bay team that played like that,” he said.
The Raiders had their six-game winning streak snapped while falling to 18-12 overall and 12-5 in the league. They’re assured of at least a tie for the crown if they win at Milwaukee (9-21, 4-13) in the regular-season finale at 7 p.m. Saturday.
