The Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team uses balanced scoring to advance to 2-0 early in the season with a 74-65 defeat against the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech.
STATS LEADERS
- Trevon Faulkner tied his career-high with six steals to accompany 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
- Bryson Langdon also found himself in double figures with 15 points, going 5-of-13 (38 percent) from the field and 4-for-4 (100 percent) from the free throw line. Langdon dished out three assists and brought in three rebounds to add to his night.
- Adrian Nelson continued his hot streak with rebounds, nabbing 14, with six on the offensive end. Nelson secured the double-double with an additional 10 points, marking his second consecutive double-double performance.
- Trey Robinson added 14 points on 4-of-7 (57 percent) shooting and tallied four rebounds, while fellow freshman David Böhm chipped in 12 points and four boards
TURNING POINT
- Warrick knocked down a deep three to give the Norse a 48-46 advantage after trading off the lead with the Golden Eagles until the 16:14 mark. NKU maintained the lead from that point forward, assisted by the defensive effort that held TTU scoreless for a total of six minutes and 34 seconds.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
- NKU was on the search for momentum to begin the game after only scoring two points through the first 5:45 of the opening half. Points showered in soon after.
- The Norse continued to play catch-up to the Golden Eagles due to the slow start, but the call was finally answered by Robinson with 3:40 left on the clock with a statement three.
- Once the home team secured the first tie of the game, every basket was answered in a tic-for-tac manner. A three from Böhm in the right corner eventually tipped NKU past TTU on the scoreboard with 29 seconds remaining, giving the Norse a 39-36 advantage heading to the locker room.
- Nelson stacked the rebounding column with seven rebounds in only seven minutes and some change of play to start off, four being from the offensive side of the court. He finished the half with nine.
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
- The game remained balanced through the first three and a half minutes of play with consistent scoring on both ends of the court. A Warrick three at the 16:14 mark gave the Norse the advantage needed to maintain the lead for the remainder of the game.
- NKU’s defense forced TTU into a scoring drought, withholding any points from entering the scoring column for the Golden Eagles for a total of six minutes and 34 seconds.
- The Norse capitalized on turnovers with 12 points off miscues in the second half, which was partly facilitated by seven steals from the home team.
- TTU brought the game back within six points of NKU with 1:51 remaining in the contest, but Faulkner converted on a three soon after to give the Norse the final edge needed to close out the game.
- The scoring sheet was balanced for the Norse with five players in double figures.
GAME NOTES
- Nelson’s consecutive double-double marks the only time in his career for such a feat. The last time an NKU player notched back-to-back double-doubles was Drew McDonald in January of 2019.
- Faulkner set a career-high with six steals. Jalen Tate matched Faulkner’s career-high of six steals in February of 2020, making the duo the only two to reach this benchmark in the Division I era.
- NKU found themselves with the advantage in several stats upon the conclusion of the game. The Norse overpowered the Golden Eagles in points off turnovers (19-5), points in the paint (28-22) and second chance points (18-13).
- This game marks the second straight competition with five players scoring in double figures. Warrick was only three points shy of joining the quintet.
- The Norse were almost as effective in offensive boards as defensive as 18 and 21 were obtained, respectively.
UP NEXT
Northern Kentucky will travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to compete against the Mocs of Chattanooga on Saturday, Dec. 5, in what will mark its first road game of the 2020-21 season at 2 p.m.
#NorseUp
Macy Wright – Northern Kentucky University