Drew McDonald’s 26-point, 16-rebound double-double led Northern Kentucky men’s basketball to its fifth-straight Horizon League road win with a 95-85 victory at Youngstown State. NKU moves to 16-7 overall and 9-2 in the Horizon League. Youngstown State falls to 6-18 on the season and 4-7 in the League.
STATS LEADERS
· McDonald led all players with 26 points and 16 rebounds. He shot 9-of-11 from the floor. This marked his 11th double-double of the season and ninth in the last 13 games.
· Carson Williams added 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting.
· Tyler Sharpe finished with 15 points.
· Mason Faulkner contributed 12 points, and Lavone Holland II had 11 points.
TURNING POINT
· NKU led 63-61 with 13:22 to play in the second half, and the Norse went on to outscore Youngstown State 11-1 over the next 3:05 to take a 74-62 lead. Despite getting within five points, the Penguins were unable to overcome the deficit down the stretch.
FIRST-HALF SUMMARY
· NKU had a 6-4 advantage in the early part of the half, but Youngstown State went on a 10-0 run to take a 14-6 lead.
· The Norse used a 6-0 run to get within two points at 39-37 with 2:41 to play in the half, but Youngstown State took a 43-40 lead into intermission.
· NKU shot 16-of-29 (55.2%) from the floor and 4-of-11 (36.4%) from the three-point line.
· The Penguins went 17-of-38 (44.7%) on field goals and 6-of-10 (60%) on three-point attempts.
· McDonald had 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Sharpe added nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from behind the arc.
SECOND-HALF SUMMARY
· Williams scored eight points in the first 1:45 of the half. His layup at 19:13 gave the Norse a 44-43 lead.
· NKU led 63-61 with 13:22 to play in the game, and the Norse outscored Youngstown State 11-1 over the next 3:05 to take a 74-62 advantage.
· Youngstown State cut the lead to five points with 3:28 to play, but the Norse went on to win by a final score of 95-85.
· The Norse shot a blistering 18-of-28 (64.3%) in the second half, which included a 6-of-8 (75.0%) performance from the three-point line.
· The Penguins went 14-of-34 (41.2%) from the floor and 5-of-13 (38.5%) from beyond the arc.
· Williams finished with 13 points in the half, and McDonald and Holland added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
GAME NOTES
· This was the fifth-straight Horizon League road win for NKU.
· The Norse shot 34-of-57 (59.2%) from the floor and 10-of-19 (52.6%) from the three-point line in the game.
· Youngstown State went 31-of-72 (43.1%) on field goals and 11-of-23 (47.8%) on three-point attempts.
· Five Norse reached double-figures in the scoring column for the first time since NKU’s matchup with Morehead State on Dec. 3.
· McDonald’s 16 rebounds are a career-high, topping the 15 he registered against Youngstown State at BB&T Arena on Jan. 4, 2017.
· NKU had 19 assists in the game, led by Jordan Garnett’s career-high six.
NEXT UP
· NKU travels to Cleveland State on Saturday, Feb. 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
#TakeNotice
Ryan Wilker
Northern Kentucky University
Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
