NKU defense sparkles, Norse grind out 65-56 victory at Milwaukee to sweep Wisconsin road trip

NKyTribune staff

MILWAUKEE — The tougher-than-iron defense of Northern Kentucky was on full display Sunday afternoon as the Norse posted a 65-56 win over Milwaukee at the UWM Panther Arena.

NKU clamped down defensively on Milwaukee, holding the Panthers to 17 points in the first half on 7-for-30 (23.3 percent) shooting from the field. The Norse — who bolted out to a 13-2 lead — netted just 25 points before the break, but Jalen Tate and Tyler Sharpe ignited a huge second-half run that resulted in a 59-40 cushion.

Tate netted 12 of his 16 points in the second half, while Sharpe scored 11 after the break. Sharpe — who finished with a game-high 18 points — also buried a trio of 3-pointers in the second half as NKU defeated Milwaukee for the eighth consecutive time.

Trevon Faulkner and Bryson Langdon each added 10 points for NKU, which improved to 16-7 overall, 8-3 in the Horizon League. The Norse warmed up in the second half and converted 47-6 percent of their shots, including a 6-for-13 effort from 3-point range.

NKU used a 17-5 run in the second half to turn a 28-25 edge into a 45-30 lead. Tate scored eight points during the spurt, and Sharpe drained a pair of 3-pointers. The Norse later extended the advantage to as many as 19 points and coasted to the key win, capping a 2-0 weekend road trip.

Darius Roy scored 11 points to lead Milwaukee, which dropped to 10-13 overall, 5-6 in the Horizon League. The Panthers were held to 35.8 percent shooting for the game and lost the rebounding battle by a 40-31 margin.

Tate grabbed nine rebounds to lead NKU on the glass, while Silas Adheke hauled in eight boards. Faulkner added six rebounds, while Dantez Walton finished with five rebounds and three steals.

NKU also pulled to within a game of first place in the Horizon League as a result of Green Bay’s 92-89 victory over Wright State on Sunday. Wright State is now 9-2 in the Horizon League.

Tate also dished out five assists and added two steals for NKU, which is 9-3 all-time against Milwaukee. The Panthers’ 17 points during the opening 20 minutes represented the lowest-scoring half by an NKU opponent this season.

NKU plays host to Oakland at 7 p.m. Thursday at BB&T Arena.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY 65, MILWAUKEE 56
NORTHERN KENTUCKY (65)
Sharpe 6-13 2-2 18, Adheke 3-5 0-0 6, Faulkner 3-10 2-4 10, Walton 2-10 0-0 5, Tate 5-12 6-6 16, Langdon 2-6 5-6 10, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0, Djoko 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-55 15-18 65.
MILWAUKEE (56)
Roy 5-13 0-0 11, Lucas 2-6 4-4 9, Thomas 1-4 0-0 2, Abram 2-7 3-4 8, Wilbourn 2-4 0-0 4, Brown 1-6 4-4 7, Sessoms 2-5 0-0 4, Henderson 0-2 0-0 0, Behrendt 3-4 0-0 9, Bingham 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 19-53 11-12 56.
HALFTIME: NKU 25-17. 3-POINTERS: (NKU 8-28, UWM 7-23). REBOUNDS: NKU 40 (Tate 9), UWM 31 (Roy 6).
RECORDS: NKU 16-7, 8-3 HL; Milwaukee 10-13, 5-6 HL.

(Information compiled from NKU and staff reports)