Carson Williams and Cole Murray posted 17 points apiece – a career-high for Williams – to lead the Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team to its fifth-straight win as it defeated Eastern Washington, 70-48, on Sunday at BB&T Arena.
NKU’s five-game win streak is the longest in the DI era and most consecutive wins since a six-game win streak from Feb 2, 2012 to Feb. 18, 2012. The Norse improved to 8-3 overall while Eastern Washington dipped to 8-3.
STATS LEADERS
· Williams came one rebound shy of a double-double after pulling down a team-leading nine boards to go with his game-high 17 points. The freshman shot 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. Williams also dished out three assists.
· Murray’s 17 points came via 6-for-12 shooting from the field including a 5-for-11 showing from behind the arc. Murray posted four rebounds and four assists.
· Lavone Holland II and Brennan Gillis joined Williams and Murray in double-figures with 16 points and 10 points, respectively. Holland added three assists while Gillis’ 10 points came in just 14 minutes of play.
TURNING POINT
· With 1:45 left in the first half, Eastern Washington used a 7-0 run to take its first lead of the game since the opening minutes. The Norse then countered with an 8-0 run to lead 29-24 at halftime. NKU extended the run to 13-0 upon returning to the court and maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the game.
FIRST-HALF SUMMARY
· The Norse opened the game with an 11-2 run across the first four minutes. Four different Norse contributed to the run as they opened the game shooting 6-for-11 from the floor.
· Nine uninterrupted points from Eastern Washington brought the Eagles within one of NKU at 16-15 at the midway point of the opening period.
· The Eagles chipped away at the deficit and went on a 7-0 run across a one minute stretch to lead 24-21 with 1:45 left in the half.
· A Brennan Gillis jumper and a pair of treys from Murray and Holland helped the Norse end the half with eight-straight points to take a 29-24 lead into the locker room.
SECOND-HALF SUMMARY
· The Norse picked up right where they left off upon returning to the court, scoring five-straight points for a 34-24 advantage.
· At the 16:24 mark, Mason Faulkner sparked a 13-3 run with a pair of triples on back-to-back possessions to help NKU rebuild its double-digit lead that it would not relinquish.
· The closest the Eagles would come to the Norse throughout the remainder of the game was 10 points at the 10:52 mark.
· NKU continued to extend its lead and ended the contest with a game-high 22 point advantage.
GAME NOTES
· Eastern Washington entered the game as the nation’s 41st-best scoring offense, averaging 82.0 points per game. NKU held the Eagles to a season-low 32.8 percent from the floor on 19-for-58 shooting.
· Meanwhile, NKU shot 44.8 percent (26-for-58) from the floor including an 11-for-26 showing (42.3 percent) from behind the arc.
· Williams’ career-high 17 points bested his 15-point performance in the season-opener against Earlham on Nov. 11.
· NKU won the battle of the boards, 39-34, and has out-rebounded its opponent in 10 of its 11 games this season, matching the longest stretch since the middle of the 2010-11 season.
· The Norse are now 7-0 when three players reach double-figures and improve to 4-0 in afternoon games.
· NKU’s 22 assists are the most since the season-opener against Earlham on Nov. 11 as five players dished out at least three assists.
NEXT UP
· NKU returns to action on Wednesday for the final home game of the calendar year when it hosts Brescia at 7 p.m. at BB&T Arena.
From NKU Athletics