Sophomore Lavone Holland came one assist shy of his first career triple double in Northern Kentucky University’s home opening 83-71 win over Tiffin.
The Norse improved to 1-1, while the Dragons dropped to 1-2 overall.
Holland tallied 10 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for his near triple double. Several Norse were the beneficiary of Holland’s passing, with Jalen Billups scoring 22 points and Cole Murray posting 18.
“Our energy increased in the second half and that is more indicative of the style of play we want to demonstrate,” said head coach John Brannen. “We made some adjustments at halftime and the guys stepped up in the second half. It’s not just about results. It’s about getting better. I felt we got better tonight.”
Billups ignited the Norse with 19 second half points. He made all six of his field-goal attempts and went 7-for-8 at the charity stripe. In the stanza, NKU outscored TU, 54-36.
NKU shot 44 percent (26-of-59) from the field while shooting 75.8 percent (25-of-33) from the free throw line. By comparison, Tiffin shot 41.3 percent (26-of-63) from the floor and 60 percent (12-of-20) at the charity stripe.
Billups finished the game converting on 7-of-10 field-goal attempts and 8-of-10 from the line. Murray used 4-for-7 shooting from long range to finish the game 7-for-12 from the field.
Drew McDonald added in nine points off the bench, and Cole Murray went four for seven from the three point line and helped lead the Norse to victory in the second half.
After a slow moving first half of play, NKU trailed Tiffin, 35-29. Murray led the Norse with seven points in the first half. Tony Kynard led Tiffin and all scorers with 10 first half points.
Tiffin was led by Khaleal McCormick, who finished with 20 points.
Northern Kentucky remains at home for a prime-time showdown against Morehead State with a 7 p.m. tipoff on Saturday night.
Norse Notes
— Holland totaled eight points and seven rebounds in the second half to reach his first career double-double, which comes in just his second game as a Norse.
— Billups is now 10-for-14 from the field for 71.4 percent shooting this season. He led the nation in shooting last year at 69.6 percent.
— The Norse’s big second half was keyed by 61.5 percent (16-of-26) shooting, including 57.1 percent (4-for-7) from beyond the arc.
Norse women face Cincinnati Wednesday
The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team makes the short trip across the Ohio River on Wednesday for a road conference against local rival Cincinnati. Tip off from Fifth Third Arena is set for 1 p.m., with broadcast and live stats links available at NKUNorse.com.
The Bearcats enter Wednesday’s contest after outlasting Saint Francis (Pa.) in a shootout in the season-opener, 93-86. Ana Owens was just two assists shorts of a triple-double, going for 25 points and 12 rebounds to land on the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll. Three other Bearcats finished in double figures, including Alyesha Lovett (19 points), Jasmine Whitfield (17) and Bianca Quisenberry (11).
The Norse and Bearcats have been annual opponents since NKU reclassified to Division I in 2012-13. NKU has gone 2-1 in those three meetings to push the all-time series between the teams to a 10-8 Norse advantage.
Last season, Rianna Gayheart posted a season-high with 12 points to lead NKU to a 66-52 win over UC at the BB&T Arena. Christine Roush and Kaitlyn Gerrity each finished with 11 points, while Kelley Wiegman and Mel Doss each had nine points and seven rebounds.
The Norse have found a pair of consistent scoring and defensive threats in Christine Roush and Kasey Uetrecht. Both players have each posted double-digit scoring performances in 2015-16, as well as putting up double-figures in NKU’s season finale against Marshall last season, putting each player on a three-game streak.
In addition, both Roush and Uetrecht lead the way for the Norse in steals with eight each. The average of four per game puts both players tied for fourth among Horizon League defenders.
NKU has been strong on the glass out of the gate this season, averaging 40 rebounds per game to rank third in the Horizon League, while NKU’s +6 rebounding margin ranks second among League teams.
Despite the strong showing as a team, NKU has no players in the Horizon League top 10 in rebounding. However, Christine Roush, Kasey Uetrecht and Rebecca Lyttle share the team lead with seven rebounds each, good for 11th on the League list. NKU also stands as the only team in the Horizon League with three players in the Top 11 in rebounding.
From NKU Athletics