Rugged trip to frigid Wisconsin looms for NKU, beginning at Milwaukee on Thursday night

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

This is a road trip Northern Kentucky University is probably dreading, and it’s not just because the Wisconsin weather figures to be downright frigid.

Since joining the Horizon League in 2015, NKU has journeyed twice to Wisconsin for games against Milwaukee and Green Bay. And both times, the Norse returned to Highland Heights with a pair of losses.

NKU gets another shot at ending the misery in Wisconsin on Thursday night, when the Norse visit Milwaukee for an 8 p.m. tipoff. A year ago, Milwaukee used its home-court advantage to post a 68-58 win over NKU. And during the 2015-16 campaign, the Panthers handed the visiting Norse a 76-67 setback.

NKU enters Thursday night’s contest with a 12-6 overall record. The Norse are 5-1 in the Horizon League and trail first-place Wright State by a game in the standings.

Milwaukee is 9-11 overall, 2-5 in the Horizon League. The Panthers are also in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

NKU will have to contain Milwaukee guards Jeremiah Bell (14.3 points per game) and Brock Stull (13.8 ppg) to win Thursday night. Bell has drained a team-leading 42 shots from 3-point range, while Stull has made 41 from beyond the arc.

Milwaukee also features solid inside players in 6-foot-7 Bryce Nze (9.6 ppg, 7.5 rebounds per game) and 6-foot-9 Brett Prahl (9.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg).

Despite a sluggish start offensively Monday night, NKU pulled away for a 70-55 win over Cleveland State. NKU reserves Mason Faulkner and Tyler Sharpe provided the spark in the first half, combining for 14 points and four 3-pointers as the Norse used a 20-4 run to build a 37-21 advantage at the break.

Faulkner scored a game-high 16 points, while Sharpe finished with nine points — all on 3-pointers. Those two combined for 10-of-18 shooting from the field, including 5-for-10 from 3-point range.

“When you’re in a lull offensively or energy-wise, you need the bench to pick you up,” NKU head coach John Brannen said. “Mason Faulkner and Tyler Sharpe did that tonight. I was really appreciative of those guys and the energy they brought. They’re a big reason we won this game.”

Drew McDonald scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds for NKU, which clamped down defensively on Cleveland State and held the visitors to just 37.5 percent shooting from the field. McDonald, who averages a team-leading 16.4 points and 8.4 rebounds, also added five assists against Cleveland State.

Carson Williams finished with 12 points and nine rebounds against Cleveland State. Williams leads the Horizon League in field-goal percentage (.643) and averages 14.2 points per game.

NKU has won 20 of its last 27 games against Horizon League foes. One of those victories came against Milwaukee in last season’s Horizon League Tournament championship game in Detroit, when the Norse prevailed by a 59-53 score.

Milwaukee and NKU have met six times the past two years, and each team has posted three wins. Milwaukee eliminated NKU from the Horizon League Tournament in 2016.

NKU concludes the Wisconsin trip Saturday with a 1 p.m. game at Green Bay. A year ago, the Norse dropped an 80-71 decision at Green Bay.

WHAT: Northern Kentucky (12-6, 5-1 HL) at Milwaukee (9-11, 2-5 HL)
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 18, 8 p.m.
WHERE: Milwaukee, Wis.
ARENA: UWM Panther Arena (10,783 capacity)
TV: ESPN3
RADIO: ESPN 1530
SERIES: Tied, 3-3

NKU/CLEVELAND STATE PHOTO GALLERY

HORIZON LEAGUE STANDINGS