NKyTribune staff
The schedule gets no easier for Northern Kentucky on Sunday, when the youthful Norse face a veteran Kent State team on the road at 2 p.m.
NKU is 2-2 after dropping a 66-60 decision to Dayton on Tuesday night. Kent State is 2-1, with its only loss a 71-64 overtime setback at No. 15 Virginia. The Golden Flashes are coming off an 80-66 win at Detroit Mercy on Tuesday night.
This will mark the first-ever meeting between NKU and Kent State.
NKU junior guard Trevon Faulkner averages 14.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Faulkner netted 15 points against Dayton on Tuesday night.
NKU junior forward Adrian Nelson opened the season with three consecutive double-doubles, becoming the first Norse to do so since Drew McDonald collected four straight in 2018. Nelson ranks fourth nationally in rebounds per game (12.0).
Freshman guard Marques Warrick is enjoying a sensational start for NKU. He has been named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week twice and averages 10.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Trey Robinson has been equally as impressive through three games, averaging 10.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game off the bench. Bryson Langdon has been a steady presence for the Norse, averaging 10.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
David Böhm is NKU’s third freshman among the top six scorers, averaging 7.5 points per contest.
On Tuesday night at UD Arena, Dayton used a 9-0 spurt to end the first half to turn a 32-27 deficit into a 36-32 lead at the break. The Flyers then ran off 13 consecutive points early in the second half to build a 49-34 advantage and held off a late NKU rally.
NKU led by as many as eight points midway through the first half, sparked by the play of Robinson and Böhm. But Dayton responded behind veterans Jalen Crutcher and Ibi Watson, who each netted 11 points in the first half.
Trailing by 10 points (63-53) with 3:38 remaining, NKU used an 7-1 run to cut the Dayton lead to 64-60 when Faulkner buried a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left. The Norse then forced a Dayton turnover, but Faulkner’s 3-point attempt was off the mark and the Flyers sealed the win with a pair of free throws.
Kent State is led by preseason All-Mid-American Conference selection Danny Pippen, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds against Detroit Mercy. Pippen, a senior forward, is currently second on the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game.
Senior guard Michael Nuga leads the Golden Flashes in scoring, pouring in 17.3 points an outing. Senior forward Justyn Hamilton averages a double-double at 10.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Kent State posted a 20-12 overall record last season. The Golden Flashes were 14-3 at home in 2019-20.
DUVALL LEADS NKU WOMEN PAST RMU: Lindsey Duvall scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the NKU women’s basketball team to a 61-33 victory over Robert Morris on Saturday at BB&T Arena. Duvall also dished out four assists as NKU improved to 1-4 overall, 1-0 in the Horizon League.
Duvall, a transfer from Louisville, has recorded three consecutive double-doubles. Prior to Duvall, the last NKU player to have three straight double-doubles was Angela Healy, who collected four in a row during the 2007-08 season.
Robert Morris (0-1, 0-1 Horizon League) shot just 23.1 percent from the field. The Colonials did not attempt a free throw in their Horizon League debut and were 3-for-20 from 3-point range.
NKU and Robert Morris conclude the two-game series at 2 p.m. Sunday.
(Information compiled from NKU Athletics Communications and staff reports)