By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
Northern Kentucky University basketball fans have 800 reasons to attend Tuesday night’s regular-season opener against Wilmington (Ohio) at BB&T Arena at 7 p.m.
That’s because the Norse are going for their 800th all-time victory. NKU is 799-558 all-time (.589 winning percentage) entering the 2018-19 season. NKU has posted 30 winning seasons, and the Norse have reached the 20-win mark 16 times, including each of the last two campaigns.
NKU finished 22-10 last season and played at Louisville in the opening round of the NIT. The Norse captured the Horizon League regular-season championship but were upset by Cleveland State at Motor City Madness, a loss that sent NKU to the NIT.
The 6-foot-8 McDonald has been chosen as the Horizon League preseason Player of the Year and is one of 20 candidates for the 2019 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. The Newport Central Catholic graduate owns 34 double-doubles in 97 career games played at NKU.
McDonald enters his senior season 11th on the NKU all-time scoring list with 1,431 points, and he is fifth in Norse history with 762 rebounds. During an 84-47 exhibition win against Thomas More last week, McDonald finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists in just 17 minutes of action.
Dantez Walton scored 13 points for NKU against Thomas More, while Bryant Mocaby (11 points), Tyler Sharpe (10) and Adrian Nelson (10) also netted double figures. Mocaby, the freshman sharpshooter from the state of Kansas, buried a trio of 3-pointers and added three assists in his NKU debut.
In the win over Thomas More, NKU made every shot it took (24-for-24) inside the 3-point line and finished at 66 percent from the field for the game.
Wilmington, an NCAA Division III member, finished 11-14 last season and averaged 81.8 points per game, but the Quakers allowed opponents to score 82.4 points per contest. The Quakers lost their top two scorers from last season in Christian Jones (19.1 ppg) and Nathan Scott (12.4 ppg), but return Will Patrick, who averaged 12.2 points per game.
NKU is 8-1 all-time against Wilmington, including last season’s 93-65 victory in Highland Heights. McDonald finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds in just 16 minutes of action in that game, while Walton added seven points and a game-high five assists.
NKU MILESTONE: On Dec. 9, 1978, NKU recorded its 100th all-time victory with a 76-74 win over Oakland at Rochester, Mich. Mike Hofmeyer led NKU with 22 points. Dan Doellman added 19 points for the Norsemen, while Pat Ryan chipped in 11 points. Below is the boxscore from that game.
Dec. 9, 1978
At Rochester, Mich.
Northern Kentucky 76, Oakland (Mich.) 74
OU (74): Rawlings 2 2 6, Dye 2 1 5, Rossow 3 0 6, Plese 2 1 5, Harts 4 3 11, Kramer 4 3 11, Glenn 5 2 12, Brauer 8 0 16, Petersen 1 0 2. Totals 31 12 74.
NKU (76): Doellman 8 3 19, Schneider 1 0 2, Woeste 5 0 10, Hofmeyer 9 4 22, Bettis 5 0 10, Ryan 4 3 11, Gergen 0 2 2. Totals 32 12 76.
THE PROGRAM’S DEBUT: On Nov. 12, 1971, Northern Kentucky State played its first-ever men’s basketball game against Calvary College, a small Christian school located in Letcher, Ky., with an enrollment of 40 students. The game was played at old Newport High School’s gym on Columbia Street. Northern Kentucky State defeated Calvary, 109-65, as six Norsemen score in double figures. Dan Maurer scored the first basket in Northern Kentucky State history on a short jumper a minute into the game.
Barry Hall tied the score at 2-2 for Calvary on the Chargers’ next trip down the floor, but the Norsemen rolled into halftime with a 56-27 lead as Marvin Johnson scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Johnson led Northern Kentucky State with 17 points against Calvary, while teammate Dennis Egan added 16 points.
Nov. 12, 1971
at Newport, Ky.
Northern Kentucky 109, Calvary 65
CC (65): Fultz 7 5 19, Hopkins 1 2 4, Hall 10 5 25, Adams 2 3 7, Napier 5 0 10. Totals 25 15 65.
NKSC (109): Maurer 7 1 15, Rimer 3 0 6, McMillan 5 1 11, Perdue 4 0 8, Johnson 8 1 17, Egan 8 0 16, Derkson 4 7 15, Griffin 2 0 4, Mitts 1 1 3, Ballinger 1 2 4, Overmann 4 2 10. Totals 47 15 109.
Tuesday, Nov. 6
Wilmington at NKU, 7 p.m.
BB&T Arena (9,400), Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: ESPN+
Radio: FOXSports1360 (1360 AM)
Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport