By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
If John Brannen appeared a bit preoccupied late Sunday afternoon, it’s perfectly understandable because the third-year head coach at Northern Kentucky University really had a lot going on.
“It’s my wife’s birthday, and my brother [Grant Brannen] has his team playing for the All ‘A’ Classic championship,” Brannen said as he took the podium for his postgame press conference, noting Walton-Verona High School was playing in the fourth quarter.
Objective No. 1 was a total success as NKU’s defense thoroughly disrupted the visiting Titans, holding them to just 19.4 percent shooting from the field in the first half and rolling to a 72-44 victory in front of a crowd of 3,696 at BB&T Arena.
NKU placed 10 players in the scoring column and upped its record to 15-7 overall, 8-2 in the Horizon League. The Norse remained a game behind first-place Wright State, which defeated Oakland on Sunday to improve to 9-1 in the Horizon League.
“I was proud of the guys because it was a short turnaround, and it was a good enough performance to get the ‘W’ in a way that it really wasn’t close at the end,” Brannen said. “This game was about defensively putting our footprint — our identity — on the game, and outrebounding them 47-29.”
NKU’s defense shut down Detroit Mercy’s Kameron Chatman, who entered Sunday averaging 18.2 points per game. In the first half, the 6-foot-9 Chatman missed all four of his shots from the field and did not score. He finished with just six points on 3-for-11 shooting.
“The Chatman kid was averaging 20 points a game in conference play, and he had zero points at halftime,” Brannen said. “That was a team effort. It was Jalen Tate, who I think is one of the best defenders in the league, if not the best. That was Jordan Garnett, and it was Carson Williams. Those guys all guarded him.”
NKU then responded with a 13-0 run to extend its lead to 31-17 with 2:21 remaining before halftime. Williams began the spurt with an inside basket, and he later made a pair of free throws to make it 22-14. Tyler Sharpe then buried a long 3-pointer, and Mason Faulkner capped the run by draining back-to-back treys.
Sharpe and Faulkner combined for 18 points off the bench on Sunday.
“That’s our job, to provide energy and a boost to the starters,” said Sharpe, who finished with 10 points, a pair of assists and three rebounds. “You want to provide that spark, and they feed off it.”
Detroit Mercy converted just seven field goals in 36 attempts during the opening 20 minutes for 19.4 percent from the field. It marked the lowest field-goal percentage in a half for an NKU opponent since Feb. 7, 2015, when the Norse held Lipscomb to 18.2 percent during the first 20 minutes of a 77-60 win at BB&T Arena.
Garnett drained a pair of 3-pointers during a 16-4 run at the start of the second half as NKU’s lead ballooned to 49-20. The Norse pushed the advantage to as many as 32 points and cruised to the win, giving them a 5-1 lead in the all-time series with the Titans.
Corey Allen scored 11 points and was the only Detroit Mercy player to reach double figures. The Titans (6-17 overall, 2-8 Horizon League) shot 27.9 percent from the field, including 4-for-20 from 3-point range.
“We definitely focused on [Chatman] and tried to keep him under wraps, because if he gets it going, it gives their other guys a chance to get good shots,” said Tate, who finished with six rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
NKU shot 45.8 percent from the field and won easily despite committing 17 turnovers. McDonald posted his 10th double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Williams added 13 points and nine rebounds.
The Norse’s Jeff Garrett converted all four of his shots from the field and finished with eight points. Faulkner added eight points, four assists and four rebounds off the NKU bench.
“Last year someone always stepped up to make a play or to make a shot, find a way to win a game,” Brannen said. “This year I’m waiting for the bench and starters to do it at the same time, play well at a high level together. I felt liked we took that next step this weekend in terms of more defined roles for our bench, and understanding how important they are in helping us win games.
“We talk about define your role, accept your role, star in your role. We’re now in the star-in-your-role part. We already defined it, already accepted it, now it’s time to star in it.”
NKU will embark on two-game road trip this week, beginning Thursday at Youngstown State at 7 p.m. The Norse conclude the trip Saturday at Cleveland State, with the tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
But for the multitasking Brannen, scouting reports and film sessions would have to wait until later. “It’s my wife’s birthday today, so I got to go do things with her today,” Brannen said as the press conference wrapped up, totally cognizant of Lisa Brannen’s big day. “That will be my challenge once I’m done with this [press conference].”
Walton-Verona, meanwhile, lost to Lexington Christian in the All “A” Classic championship game, 47-41, spoiling a near-perfect Sunday for the Brannen family.
NKU/DETROIT MERCY PHOTO GALLERY
Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport