Tyler White’s 18 first-half points helped spur the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team to a 77-60 win over Lipscomb in Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday night.
White went 6-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-5 from long range, to go with seven boards to lead the Norse in both categories. The performance was a mirror image of the teams’ conference-opening showdown on Jan. 10, when White scored 17 points in the second half.
Jalen Billups added 15 points and five rebounds on perfect 6-for-6 shooting and Deontae Cole chipped in with 11, including eight points in the second half. Tayler Persons had seven rebounds and five assists and Jordan Jackson dished out four assists as well, as NKU improved to 10-13 overall and 4-4 in A-Sun play.
As a team the Norse owned the paint, outrebounding Lipscomb (10-13, 4-4 A-Sun) by a 35-26 margin and scoring 26 points inside.
NKU shot out to an early 12-3 lead in the game’s first six minutes as all five starters recorded field goals prior to the first media timeout. White continued the scoring barrage for the Norse, going on a personal 9-2 run to extend the Norse lead to 21-7 at the 11:33 mark.
The Bisons kept pace, draining a pair of treys to cut NKU’s lead to a dozen at 13-25 before NKU clamped down the defense once more, holding Lipscomb without a field goal over the final 9:26 of the half while White continued his scoring pressure, capping his first-half performance with a buzzer-beating triple.
As a team, the Norse shot 61.5 percent (16-for-26) from the field in the first half, including 50 percent (6-for-12) from long range, while holding Lipscomb to its lowest-scoring half of the season on just 18.2 percent (4-for-22) shooting.
The Norse pushed their advantage, starting the second half on a 10-1 run keyed by a pair of 3-pointers from Deontae Cole, to make it 51-21 at the 15:03 mark. The Lipscomb field-goal drought continued almost six minutes into the second half and last over 16 minutes of actual game time until Malcom Smith landed a jumper to cut NKU’s lead to 51-23.
The Bisons opened the scoring floodgates a bit, going on a 10-2 run over a 3:45 stretch to cut the Norse lead to 53-31 before Todd Johnson ended the run with a three from the corner. The large lead helped the Norse overcome a pair of late Lipscomb runs to grab the 77-60 win.
Josh Williams led all scorers with 21 points for Lipscomb, while Malcom Smith added 15 points.
The Norse continue their three-game home stand on Thursday when they host Florida Gulf Coast. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. It’s Toppers Blackout Night. Fans are encouraged to wear black to the game. In addition, select beverages at The Bank of Kentucky Center concession stands will be just $1. Fans who can’t make the game can tune in on 55KRC with Jim Kelch and Steve Moeller, or watch live on ESPN3.
NKU women post win
Season-high performances by Melody Doss and Shar’Rae Davis helped push the Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team past Lipscomb University in the first game of a Homecoming doubleheader in Atlantic Sun Conference action on Saturday at The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Doss led the way for NKU, which improved to 14-9 overall and 5-3 in the Atlantic Sun, with a season-high 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field, including 3-for-6 beyond the 3-poing arc, and she was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
She was aided by Davis, who equaled her season high with 14 points. Kasey Uetrecht rounded out the top scorers for the Norse with nine points and six rebounds. For the game, NKU went 20-for-54 for a 37.0 percent mark from the field and 5-for-21 (.238). The Norse were solid from the free-throw line, finishing 19-for-22 (.864) at the charity stripe.
Both teams started out slow, with the Norse getting on the scoreboard on a rebound layup by Kelley Wiegman at the 17:17 mark to tie the game at 2-all. The game stayed tied for almost three minutes until a basket by Uetrecht was followed by a triple by Emily Eubank with 14:29 left in the first half to give Lipscomb the 5-4 lead.
Strong defense by the Norse led to multiple shot clock violations early for the Bisons. Doss was able to convert on one of the opportunities created to give the Norse a 6-5 lead with 12:20 on the clock. The teams exchanged baskets over the next three minutes before the Norse were able to build a 12-7 advantage on a Uetrecht jumper at the 9:32 mark.
Lipscomb, which dropped to 8-14 on the year and 3-5 in the conference, was led by Southern’s 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal. Danay Fothergill led the team in rebounds with 10 and added five points for the Lady Bisons, who shot 38.7 percent (21-for-55). Smith rounded out the top contributors with nine points and one assist.
NKU hits the road for a pair of Atlantic Sun contests next week, starting with a Thursday matchup against Florida Gulf Coast in Alico Arena at 7 p.m. in Fort Myers, Florida. The Norse will stay in the Sunshine State to take on Stetson in DeLand, Florida, two days later at 1 p.m. Links to live stats and both video broadcasts are available at NKUNorse.com.
From NKU Athletics