Drew McDonald scored a career-high 23 points, but Northern Kentucky fell to Oakland, 85-74, on Monday night at BB&T Arena.
McDonald knocked down eight field goals, including one three-pointer, and went 8-for-9 at the charity stripe to reach his 23 points. He added eight rebounds and four assists.
Dean Danos added 12 points courtesy of three long-range bombs and matched his career-mark in assists with five. Tyler White chipped in 11 points and Jalen Billups finished with six points and six rebounds.
Northern Kentucky shot the ball exceptionally well in the first half, making 9-of-10 attempts to close the frame. NKU made 53.6 percent (15-of-28) of its shots, including 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from deep. Oakland converted 45 percent from the floor and 54.5 percent (6-for-11) of its three-point attempts. Ten Norse turnovers turned into 14 points for the Grizzlies.
Oakland opened the second frame with the first six points to open a nine-point margin, but the Norse kept battling.
Five-straight points brought NKU within four with 12:33 remaining. The two teams kept going back-and-forth. The Oakland lead would swell to seven or eight, only to be cut back down to four by the Norse.
NKU got within four once more at the 4:12 mark, but Oakland went on a run to pull ahead by as many as 15 before the Norse scored the last four points to reach the final margin.
The Norse closed the game shooting 51 percent (26-of-51) and knocked down 57.1 percent (8-for-14) from three. Oakland shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55), including 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from deep.
Free throws proved to the difference, where Oakland outscored NKU 27-14.
Northern Kentucky remains at home in BB&T Arena for the middle contest of a three-game homestand when Green Bay heads to Highland Heights Thursday, Feb. 4.
Game Notes
— McDonald’s previous high was 18 points, which he scored on three different occasions in games against Oakland, Toledo and UIC.
— In two games against Oakland this year, McDonald averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds.
— Tyler White’s 11 points gives him 988 for his career. He needs just 12 more points to become NKU’s 25th member of the 1,000-point club.
From NKU Athletics