The Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team nabbed a two-point, 69-67, victory over UIC on Saturday night due to a late and-one by Bryson Langdon. NKU advances to 9-8 on the season (7-5 Horizon League) as UIC moves to 8-7 overall (5-5 Horizon League).
STATS LEADERS
- Langdon converted on 5-of-10 (50 percent) shots from the floor in his 12-point performance. His night also saw four steals, two assists and two rebounds to go along with his game-winner.
- Trevon Faulkner dropped 15 points of his own on 5-of-12 (42 percent) shooting. He added five rebounds, three assists and a steal to the Norse cause.
- Marques Warrick joined the double-digit scoring contributors with 11 points.
- Adrian Nelson snatched eight rebounds and was perfect from the floor on a 3-for-3 (100 percent) performance that led to seven points.
TURNING POINT - The game was tied 67-67 with 45 seconds left on the clock thanks to a Langdon bucket. UIC had the opportunity to repossess the lead, but both free throws bounced off the rim. Langdon called game with an and-one as the clock showed 1.8 seconds, giving the Norse the two-point advantage needed for victory.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
- UIC was the first to register points on the scoreboard, but the Norse reacted quickly with a 7-0 run. Nelson, Warrick and Eleeda were all contributors to the cause.
- Jake Evans hammered home a three with 13:52 on the clock to make the score 12-11 in favor of the Flames. The matchup would remain a one possession game until David Böhm’s back-to-back baskets, giving the Norse a 24-18 advantage with 8:58 to play.
- Böhm’s series also sparked a 12-2 run for the Norse that lasted just over a two-minute span. Warrick contributed the final points of the run at the 7:10 mark with a smooth step-back jumper, making the score 31-20.
- UIC closed the half going 4-of-5 (80 percent) from the floor, allowing the game to stiffen to a margin of 39-35, still in favor of NKU.
SECOND HALF SUMMARY - As soon as NKU declared the largest lead of the game, 55-42, UIC went on an 8-0 run over a 3:29 span to come within five points of the home team.
- Trey Robinson carried the Norse by converting the next three field goals for the team, all of which were heavily contested layups from the 8:38 mark to 5:41 remaining in the competition. The Norse led, 61-54.
- UIC mimicked its late surge last night and was able to capture the lead, 67-65, with 2:15 on the clock. This lead by UIC was their first lead since the 12:56 spot in the first half.
- The adversary’s title of the lead was thwarted by a Langdon layup with 45 seconds remaining, giving each team 67 apiece.
- Langdon lifted the Norse to victory with a gutsy bucket as 1.8 seconds remained. He missed his free throw, but his initial efforts were enough to give the Northern Kentucky the sweep.
GAME NOTES
- Faulkner has passed the 10-point benchmark in every competition this season. That marks 17-straight games the junior has contributed 10 or more points to the Norse scoreboard.
- The Norse move to 4-0 when the game is decided by four points or less. The first game of the season against Ball State on Nov. 25 ended in a 74-73 decision, the victory over Purdue Fort Wayne was close at 70-68, and last night’s 72-68 win over UIC marked the third occasion on the year.
- Evans notched a new career-high in points with five in the column, improving upon his four-point showing at Robert Morris on Jan. 23.
- The matchup featured similar stats in rebounds (32-30), points in the paint (34-30) and shooting percentage (49-48), all of which fell in favor of NKU.
- Northern Kentucky narrowly missed the 50 percent field goal percentage at 49, which would have only been the third competition on the year to achieve the feat. The Norse shot at 55 percent against Kent St. on Dec. 13 and 53 percent against Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 1.
- Nelson finished the weekend going 4-for-4 from the field. Over the last eight games, he has made 29-of-32 (91 percent).
- Langdon has now registered double-figure scoring in each of the last three games, averaging 12.7 ppg over that span.
UP NEXT
Northern Kentucky men’s basketball is set to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to take on the Panthers in a back-to-back matchup on Feb. 5-6. Both games will be televised on ESPN3 and on radio at ESPN1530 (1530 AM) with Friday’s contest starting at 6 p.m. ET and Saturday’s at 3 p.m. ET.
#NorseUp
Macy Wright – Northern Kentucky University – Graduate Assistant-M/W Golf
