Mason Faulkner had a career day as the Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team defeated Horizon League foe Youngstown State, 83-70, at BB&T Arena on Thursday evening.
Northern Kentucky improved to 11-5 overall and 2-1 on Horizon League play. YSU fell to 7-9 overall and 1-2 in League play.
Stat Leaders
• NKU had four players in double figures led by Faulkner who netted a career-high 24 points, making the game his third-straight with a new career-high. Ten of his points came in the final seven minutes of the first half.
• The freshman also reached a new career-high in steals with two and tied his career high in assists with four.
• Drew McDonald established a career-high in rebounds, posting 15 to go along with 15 points. McDonald notched his second-straight double-double and sixth of the season. It also marked the third time this season he has had a double-double in back-to-back games.
• Carson Williams and Lavone Holland II rounded out NKU’s players in double figures with 12 and 11, respectively. Holland also added six rebounds and four assists.
Turning Point
• NKU took control of the game late in the second half with a 17-2 run over a span of six and a half minutes to end the period. The Norse forced five YSU turnovers in that time frame, while Faulkner scored 10 points in the run to put the Norse in front 35-20 at halftime.
First Half Summary
• Faulkner and Jordan Garnet highlighted the late run, which included a fast-break dunk from Garnett on a Mason Faulkner assist. Faulkner added a three pointer and a slam within the span of 20 seconds put NKU up by 15.
• Faulkner scored ten of his points in the last six minutes of the first half alone, which matched his previous career high.
• The Norse out-rebounded YSU, 21-12 in the half.
• NKU shot 50.0 percent (14-for-28) from the field in the first half leading Youngstown State, 35-20. Faulkner contributed 10 points to the run.
Second Half Summary
• NKU scored the first five points of the second half, extending its run to 22-2.
• The Norse did not allow the Penguins to come within 10 points throughout the remainder of the contest.
• NKU led by as many as 24 in the second half when Jeff Garrett drained a 3-pointer to put the Norse up, 81-57 with 3:17 remaining.
• Faulkner scored 14 of his 24 total points in the second half alone.
Game Notes
• NKU has out rebounded its opponents in 14 of its 16 contests this season. They won the battle of the boards, 41-33, on Thursday.
• The Norse held YSU to 20 first-half points, the lowest scoring output allowed in a single half this season. It also marked the fifth time this season that NKU has held an opponent to 25 points or less in the first half.
• The Norse forced 13 turnovers and scored 23 points off turnovers.
• The Norse are 9-1 when at least one player scores 20 points or more.
• YSU’s Cameron Morse, who entered the game averaging 23.1 ppg, was held to only 13 by the Norse defense.
Up Next
• The Norse return to action on Saturday, Jan. 7 when they host Cleveland State at 1 p.m. at BB&T Arena. The game will be played as the front end of a doubleheader with the NKU women’s team, which takes on Youngstown State at 7 p.m.
Norse rallies for the comeback but falls short against CSU
Northern Kentucky women’s basketball fell in a close matchup against Horizon League opponent Cleveland State. The Norse were down 11 at the half, but battled back and outscored Cleveland State in the second half, ultimately falling 58-54. NKU drops to 4-11 overall and 0-3 in the Horizon League, while Cleveland State advances to 7-6 overall and 2-0 in League play.
Stat Leaders
• Junior guard Mikayla Terry led the Norse in scoring with 14 points, all in the second half. Junior forward Kasey Uetrecht added 12 as NKU’s only other double-digit scorer.
• Redshirt-senior forward Rebecca Lyttle was one rebound shy of tying her season high in offensive rebounds with nine and 13 total rebounds.
• Redshirt-senior guard Shar’Rae Davis tied her season and career high with seven assists on the night while also nabbing a season-high three assists.
First Half Summary
• Cleveland State took an early lead, but a 3-point basket by senior guard Kelley Wiegman stopped the Vikings’ 5-0 run. NKU replied with its own 5-0 run, moving the Norse within one.
• NKU out-rebounded Cleveland State 17-11, 8-0 on offensive boards, in the half.
• CSU ended the first quarter with a 7-2 run and extended it into the second quarter making it a 12-2 run until Uetrecht forced their run to a halt, putting up four points in a row for the Norse.
• Davis’ drawn charge set the tone at the end of the first half for NKU, giving the Norse the spark they needed to go into half time coming off of an 8-3 run trailing, 32-23.
Second Half Summary
• Coming out of halftime, NKU carried the momentum with them and opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run, culminating in the first tie of the game at 32-32.
• NKU took the lead halfway through the third as a Davis triple flipped the score in favor of the Norse, 35-34.
• NKU shot 43.8 percent, holding Cleveland State to a 25.0 shooting percentage to close out the third quarter.
• NKU outshot Cleveland State 43.8 percent to 25.0 percent to outscore the Vikings, 16-7. Both teams went shot for shot, ending the third quarter tied at 39-39.
• A steal by redshirt-freshman guard Taryn Taugher and a Davis layup put the Norse within one, 52-51 with 24.7 seconds left in the game. The Norse attempted to extend the game and increase possessions by fouling in the closing seconds, but flawless free throw shooting by Cleveland State left the Vikings with the lead for the 58-54 final score.
Norse Notes
• NKU is now 3-2 on the all-time series against Cleveland State.
• NKU shut out Cleveland State on the offensive boards in the first half, 8-0.
• The Norse shot 48.1 percent in the second half, holding Cleveland State to a 36.0 shooting percentage.
• The largest run of the game was 10-2 by the Norse to give them their first lead of the game.
• The matchup had four ties and six lead changes, all in the second half of the game.
• Twenty of NKU’s 54 points came from the 16 turnovers the Norse forced. NKU outscored the Vikings on points off turnovers, 20-8.
• The Norse outrebounded the Vikings 36-24, 15-6 on the offensive side of the boards.
Up Next
• NKU remains at home to host Youngstown State on Saturday, Jan. 7. The Penguins will come to BB&T Arena for a 7 p.m. ET tilt, which will be broadcast on the ESPN3 platform. Fans can stream the game live on computers, tablets and smart phones through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
From NKU Athletics