The Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team ended its road trip in Michigan with a 56-54 win over Detroit Mercy on Sunday afternoon. Lavone Holland II made a long two-point jumper with 3.3 seconds left to help NKU remain perfect in Horizon League. The Norse are now 11-5 overall and 4-0 in League play. Detroit Mercy falls to 4-13 on the season and 0-4 in the Horizon League.
STATS LEADERS
Drew McDonald just missed out on a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds. He led all scorers in the game.
Carson Williams added 12 points and five rebounds.
Holland had nine points, five rebounds and two assists.
TURNING POINT
With the score tied 54-54, Holland made a jumper from just inside the three-point line with 3.3 seconds left to give NKU the 56-54 win.
FIRST-HALF SUMMARY
Points were hard to come by in the first half, as both teams struggled to shoot the ball well.
Detroit Mercy took a 22-21 lead into halftime.
NKU went 7-of-32 (21.9%) from the floor and 2-of-13 (15.4%) from behind the arc.
Detroit Mercy shot 10-of-31 (31.4%) in the first half, and just 1-of-10 (10%) from the three-point line.
The Norse forced 10 turnovers in the half, thanks in part to six steals.
Holland was the top scorer in the half for NKU with seven points, and McDonald added six.
SECOND-HALF SUMMARY
Williams scored seven points in the first 3:48 of the second half to help NKU take a 33-29 lead.
The half was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way.
With the score tied 54-54, Holland nailed a jumper with 3.3 seconds left to help the Norse get the 56-54 victory.
NKU went 13-of-28 (46.4%) in the second half, including a 4-for-11 (36.4%) performance from behind the three-point line.
Detroit Mercy shot 11-of-31 (35.5%) from the floor and 3-of-13 (23.1%) from beyond the arc in the half.
The Norse committed just four turnovers in the half.
GAME NOTES
The game featured 13 ties and 15 lead changes.
NKU had just 10 turnovers in the game.
The Norse forced 16 turnovers, thanks in part to 10 steals.
Jalen Tate had three steals and three blocks in the game.
NKU held Detroit Mercy to 21-of-62 (33.9%) from the floor and just 4-of-23 (17.4%) from behind the arc.
NEXT UP
NKU hosts Wright State on Thursday, Jan. 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at BB&T Arena, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
#TakeNotice
Ryan Wilker
Northern Kentucky University
Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
