The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team overcame a double-figure deficit in the second half to defeat Milwaukee in the final minutes, 75-71, on Saturday in front of a raucous Homecoming crowd at BB&T Arena.
With the win, NKU improves to 9-14 overall and 5-7 in the Horizon League. Milwaukee dips to 15-9 overall and 6-5 in league play.
A triple from Todd Johnson handed the Norse their first lead of the game at 66-65 with 6:19 to play. A Milwaukee basket gave the Panthers a brief advantage until Jalen Billups converted a layup that helped NKU outscore the Panthers 9-4 throughout the remainder of the contest.
Tyler White sealed the win with a triple with nine seconds left in what turned out to be a special night for the senior guard, who also joined NKU’s 1,000-point club in the first half.
Billups led four NKU players in double figures with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go with six rebounds.
Cole Murray posted 15 points of 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. Lavone Holland II followed with 12 points and four assists, while White turned in a complete game with 10 points, five rebounds and six assists.
White’s first big moment came at the 15:32 mark of the opening half, when he became the 25th Norse to join the 1,000 career point club with a driving layup. NKU then forced four Milwaukee turnovers in a two minute span, but struggled to take advantage on the offensive end.
A pair of Panther runs allowed Milwaukee to take a 32-20 lead with six minutes left in the half. NKU shifted the momentum in the final minutes of the period, connecting on four of its last five attempts while Milwaukee went 2-of-8 to close the half.
NKU trailed 39-32 at the intermission and then by 11 with 10:59 remaining. NKU outscored Milwaukee 26-11 the rest of the way as the Homecoming crowd of 4,048 came to life.
NKU returns to action Thursday, Feb. 11 when they travel to take on League-leading Valparaiso at 8 p.m.
NORSE NOTES
· Drew McDonald came just shy of a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds.
· With his 5-of-7 performance tonight, Murray is shooting 69.6 percent (24-of-35) from long range across the last six contests. He entered Saturdays’ game shooting 47.9 percent from behind the arc this season, good for eighth in the nation.
· The last time NKU won a game after trailing by double figures in the second half was on Jan. 17, 2015 against USC Upstate, where the Norse came back from 13 down with 15-minutes left.
· At the game’s first media timeout, NKU Athletics announced a five-year partnership with adidas. The Portland, Oregon-based company will be the official athletic footwear, apparel and accessory brand of the Norse through the 2020-21 season.
NKU women post fourth win in a row
Strong rebounding early and a dominant third quarter led the Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team to a 68-50 victory over Valparaiso in Horizon League action on Saturday.
The win finished off a perfect 4-0 string of road games for the Norse, who improved to 14-8 overall and 6-5 in Horizon League play. The four-game winning streak is the longest of the season for the Norse.
Christine Roush led the way with 19 points, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Kasey Uetrecht added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Courtney Roush chipped in 12 points on the day.
As a team, the Norse shot 38 percent on the day and knocked down 14-of-20 free throws on the afternoon. The Norse forced 13 turnovers, which they turned into 12 points.
NKU owned the glass in the early going, grabbing seven offensive boards in the first quarter to maintain the offensive pressure in a fast-paced first quarter. Roush drained her first of three triples on the game with 6:20 to go to make it an 8-5 lead that the Norse would not relinquish, taking a 15-10 lead at the quarter break. The teams played even basketball through the second period, giving NKU a 30-24 lead at halftime.
The Norse broke the game open in the third, knocking down their first six shots of the half to key a 16-0 run to open the lead. NKU went up by as many as 30 points on a Courtney Roush trey with 2:02 to go, and cruised from there.
Jasmine Walker had 12 points to lead Valparaiso as the Crusaders fell to 8-14 overall and 4-7 in Horizon League action.
The Norse get a couple of extra days rest before returning home to BB&T Arena for the first time in three weeks when NKU hosts Horizon League rival Wright State for the Box Out Cancer game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game as NKU will be raising money to benefit the American Cancer Society. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., with the action carried live on ESPN3.
NORSE NOTES
· NKU won its seventh road game of the season, the most in a single season since the Norse moved to Division I.
· NKU’s four road wins in a row is its longest stretch of success away from BB&T Arena since the 2012-13 season, when the Norse won their final five games on the road.
· After a career-high night against UIC, Molly Glick came back with eight points and three boards on Saturday.
From NKU Athletics