NKyTribune staff
MILWAUKEE — The long-range shooting ability of Northern Kentucky was on full display Friday night inside the Klotsche Center.
NKU buried 18 shots from 3-points range and cruised to an 87-73 win over Milwaukee to begin a two-game Horizon League series. Marques Warrick and Adham Eleeda each drained five 3-pointers to ignite the Norse long-range attack.
Warrick finished with 21 points and eight assists to lead NKU, which extended its winning streak to five and improved to 10-8 overall, 8-5 in the Horizon League. Eleeda added 17 points and grabbed three rebounds as the Norse defeated Milwaukee for the ninth consecutive time.
Bryson Langdon sparked NKU in the first half by scoring 14 of his 19 points. Langdon buried a trio of 3-pointers during the opening 20 minutes, while Eleeda made four triples as NKU and Milwaukee played to a 43-all tie at the break.
NKU drained a trio of 3-pointers to begin the second half and built a 52-43 lead as Warrick, Eleeda and Trevon Faulkner each knocked down treys. Milwaukee answered with eight straight points to cut the margin to one with 14:48 remaining, but NKU responded with a 20-5 run during the next six minutes and never led by less than double-digits.
Adrian Nelson scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field and grabbed nine rebounds for NKU. Nelson is now 34-for-37 (92 percent) from the field in the last nine games.
NKU’s 18 3-pointers were the most in a game since draining a program-record 19 treys during a 124-58 win over Indiana-East on Dec. 19, 2007. Anthony Teague drained six 3-pointers to lead the way for NKU in that victory, which took place in Regents Hall.
The Norse finished 18-for-37 (48.6 percent) from 3-point range on Friday night against Milwaukee. The 18 triples also tied the record for most 3-pointers ever given up by Milwaukee, a mark set by Detroit Mercy on Feb. 26, 2000.
Warrick’s 21-point outing marks the seventh time this season he has eclipsed the 20-point plateau. NKU dished out 23 assists in the game, the most in a contest this season. Faulkner finished with seven assists, seven rebounds and eight points.
DeAndre Gholston scored 24 points to lead Milwaukee, which dropped to 7-7 overall, 6-6 in the Horizon League. Josh Thomas added 13 points for the Panthers, who shot 43.1 percent from the field and were 7-for-16 from 3-point range.
NKU and Milwaukee conclude the two-game series Saturday at 3 p.m.
(Information compiled from NKU Athletics Communications and staff reports)