Final: NKU 80 | Wright State 88
Attendance: 3,730 at the Nutter Center (Dayton, OH)
Saturday brought weather chaos to the greater Cincinnati area, causing NKU’s tip-off to be pushed up to 1:00 PM rather than 7:00. NKU struggled to wake up offensively and never fully recovered. After opening the game trading buckets, Michael Cooper sparked a personal 5–0 run to push Wright State out to a 13–7 lead. From there, the Raiders steadily built separation in the first half, peaking at a 17-point advantage (31–14).
Dan Gherezgher briefly stopped the bleeding with a four-point play followed by another jumper to cut the deficit to 11 with 6:15 remaining in the first half, but Wright State answered every NKU push. The teams traded scores for the remainder of the half, with the WSU lead hovering between eight and twelve points. A late 4–0 spurt in the final 38 seconds allowed the Raiders to carry a 12-point advantage into the break.
The second half opened much like the first, with both teams exchanging buckets before Wright State strung together several defensive stops, extending the lead to 65–50 with 13:24 remaining. Over the next four minutes, the Raiders continued to keep NKU at arm’s length. The lead peaked at 16 points multiple times around the eight-minute mark.
NKU showed life midway through the half. Trailing 80–65, the Norse rattled off a quick run to cut the margin to 80–73 with 5:30 remaining. However, they were unable to sustain the momentum, allowing Wright State to push the lead back to double digits with 4:18 left. NKU chipped away again late, trimming it to 86–80 with 1:54 remaining, but the offense could not get any closer despite shaky free-throw shooting from the Raiders down the stretch.
Keys to the Game
I mentioned three keys in my pregame preview:
Who Starts Hotter
This was the overarching theme, and it has surfaced in several NKU losses this season. The Norse dug an early hole and could never fully climb out. Against the top tier of the Horizon League, those early deficits are simply too much to overcome with NKU’s hot-and-cold offensive profile.
Paint Battle
NKU actually won this area, scoring 52 points in the paint compared to 44 for Wright State. However, the Raiders controlled the glass, outrebounding NKU 33–26. That included a 12–8 edge on the offensive boards and an 11–9 advantage in second-chance points, which helped offset NKU’s interior scoring success.
Pace
While NKU prefers to play fast, Wright State excels at slowing games down and executing under control. NKU did speed the Raiders up at times, but Wright State’s offense was prepared and largely unbothered.
Two additional factors proved critical and were not emphasized enough pregame:
Fouling / Physicality
As expected, this game was physical. However, NKU committed 25 team fouls compared to just 15 for Wright State, continuing a troubling trend. NKU attempted only 16 free throws (11 made), while Wright State went to the line 36 times, converting 29. That is an 18-point swing at the stripe in the Raiders’ favor.
Turnovers
Wright State committed 10 turnovers, while NKU had 14. The difference was how those turnovers were converted. Wright State turned NKU’s mistakes into 21 points, while NKU managed just nine points off Raider turnovers. That disparity was likely the single biggest reason Wright State came away with the win.
Games like this are especially frustrating because NKU did enough right to remain competitive, but failed to execute the fundamentals at a high enough level to win. The Norse must find a way to start games more consistently as March approaches, and they must stop putting opponents on the free-throw line at such a high rate. NKU committed 25 fouls in this game, matching the total from the RMU loss and coming off a 26-foul performance there. In their most recent win over Detroit Mercy, they committed just 14.
Key Performances
NKU allowed two 20-plus scorers, with Michael Imariagbe posting a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double and Michael Cooper adding 21. TJ Burch chipped in an efficient 16, while Dominic Pangonis became the fourth Raider in double figures with 12 points.
Dan Gherezgher led all scorers, becoming the third Norse player to score 30 or more points in the last three games. He finished with 30 points, three rebounds, and two assists, adding a steal against three turnovers.
LJ Wells contributed an efficient 14 points with three rebounds, one assist, and a block, but four fouls limited his overall impact.
Donovan Oday added 14 points, four rebounds, and one assist before fouling out. He finished with just one turnover and one steal.
Tae Dozier was the fourth Norse player in double figures with 10 points and five rebounds, though he also fouled out.
Shawn Nelson provided a surprise spark off the bench, logging 22 minutes and finishing with six points, four rebounds, and two assists while committing just two fouls. If Nelson can continue to provide steady minutes like this, it significantly helps NKU’s rotation.
Kael Robinson and Ethan Elliott
These two are worth highlighting because the trio of Dan Gherezgher, Donovan Oday, and LJ Wells cannot shoulder the entire offensive load. Tae Dozier’s role is not that of a primary scorer, making consistent secondary production essential.
Kael Robinson: 4 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 foul, 3 turnovers in 20 minutes. He shot 2-of-7 from the field and 0-of-3 from deep.
Kael has scored just 22 total points over the last four games after erupting for 29 at Milwaukee on January 11. Over that stretch, he is 8-of-30 from the field and 1-of-14 from three. When a player averaging 22 minutes per game produces at that level, it places a significant strain on the offense.
Ethan Elliott: 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 foul in 14 minutes.
Elliott’s season continues to be a roller coaster. He is now shooting 33% from the field and 26% from three. His 98 assists to just 28 turnovers, along with 21 steals, make him invaluable, but NKU needs more offensive orchestration. When he is not consistently creating for others, the offense becomes stagnant, as it has in the last two games.
Ethan is meant to be an elite distributor, and at his best he absolutely is. Kael is supposed to alleviate the scoring burden and help form a four-headed attack that once made NKU the only team in the nation with four players averaging 14 or more points. When one of those pieces falters, the offense’s limitations become glaring—even on nights featuring 30-point performances.
Final Thoughts
Wright State is analytically the better team, and playing at the Nutter Center was always going to be a challenge. NKU’s ability to claw back from a 17-point deficit and make it competitive late speaks to this group’s resiliency. However, moral victories will not suffice as the Norse push toward March. NKU’s goals remain hosting a Horizon League Tournament game and earning a trip to Indianapolis with hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
Up Next
NKU heads to Michigan next weekend for a two-game road swing, traveling to Detroit on Friday before facing Oakland on Sunday. The Norse will then return to Truist Arena. Valhalla Voice will have full analysis of both matchups.
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