The Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team fell to Vermont on Sunday evening by a final score of 66-64. The Catamounts converted a shot with three seconds left in the game to get the win. This was NKU’s first loss of the season.
STATS LEADERS
· Vermont’s Anthony Lamb and Trae Bell-Haynes were the top two scorers in the game with 26 and 19 points, respectively.
· Lavone Holland II led NKU with 14 points, and Carson Williams and Drew McDonald added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
· Dantez Walton and Jordan Garnett each had nine points in the contest.
TURNING POINT
· Bell-Haynes converted a layup with three seconds left in the game to put Vermont ahead 66-64.
FIRST-HALF SUMMARY
· Vermont started the game on a 7-0 run, but the Norse battled back to cut the Catamounts’ lead to 9-6 at the first media timeout.
· Trailing 14-10, NKU outscored Vermont by a margin of 12-2 over a period of 2:31 midway through the half to take a 22-16 lead.
· The Norse led by as much as eight points in the half and took a 35-33 lead into the break.
· NKU was 14-of-32 (43.8%) from the floor in the first half, and the Catamounts went 14-of-26 (53.8%), which included a 4-of-7 performance from behind the arc.
· The Norse forced 13 turnovers in the half, leading to an 18-2 advantage on points off turnovers. NKU also scored 14 bench points, compared to two for Vermont.
· The Catamounts had a 23-8 advantage in rebounding during the half.
SECOND-HALF SUMMARY
· Vermont brought the Norse lead down to one at 14:40, but NKU was able to extend its lead to 13 points with 9:02 to play in the game.
· The Catamounts proceeded to go on a 12-0 run to make the score 59-58.
· Vermont took a 64-62 lead with 2:23 to play in the game, which was the Catamounts’ first advantage since the 10:33 minute mark in the first half.
· With the score tied 64-64, Vermont’s Bell-Haynes converted a layup with three seconds left to give the Catamounts the 66-64 victory.
· Vermont outscored NKU 20-5 over the final 8:42 in the game.
· The Norse shot 11-of-22 (50%) in the half and went a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
· NKU also held Vermont to just one made three-point attempt in the half.
GAME NOTES
· The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Norse.
· NKU finished the game 25-of-54 (46.3%) from the field, but just 6-of-22 (27.3%) from the three-point line.
· Vermont outrebounded the Norse 38-20 in the game.
· The Norse had 15 assists on the 25 made field goals.
· Vermont is the third 2017 NCAA Tournament team that the Norse have faced this season. NKU is now 2-1 versus those opponents.
NEXT UP
· NKU will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 25 at Memphis. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
Ryan Wilker
Northern Kentucky University
Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
