NKU's David Palmer looks for an opening against Southern Indiana.
Box score
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. –
David Palmer scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Northern Kentucky University to a 68-56 upset over No. 2 Southern Indiana on Thursday night in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game.
Palmer, a 6-foot-9 senior center, netted 13 of his points in the second half.
Corey Sorrell added 14 points for NKU, which improved to 14-12 overall, 7-10 in the GLVC.
Southern Indiana, which is ranked No. 2 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, lost for the second time in four days and dropped to 23-2 overall. The Screaming Eagles, who watched their bid for a perfect season end during an 86-68 loss to Kentucky Wesleyan on Monday, are 14-2 in the GLVC.
It marked the third consecutive Thursday night home game in which NKU upset a nationally ranked opponent. On Jan. 21, NKU upset then-No. 13 Kentucky Wesleyan, 67-62, in The Bank of Kentucky Center. Two weeks later on Feb. 4, NKU knocked off then-No. 14 Drury, 65-61 at home.
NKU built a 32-20 halftime lead by limiting Southern Indiana to just 25 shooting from the field. Sorrell scored 10 points in the first half to spark NKU, while teammate
Tony Rack knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.
Dennis Gagai scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half as the Norse held off a Southern Indiana rally and avenged an earlier loss to the Screaming Eagles. After Southern Indiana tied the game at 49-all with 6:53 remaining, NKU used a 10-1 run to build a 59-50 advantage. Gagai keyed that spurt with a 3-pointer and a running jumper in the lane.
NKU shot 51.3 percent from the field and held Southern Indiana to 31.7 percent for the game. NKU shot 8-for-16 from 3-point range. Gagai, Sorrell and Rack all made a pair of 3-pointers.
Chris Knight finished with four blocked shots for NKU. Southern Indiana won the rebounding battle by a 37-29 margin, including 20 offensive rebounds. Tyrone Bradshaw led the Screaming Eagles with 16 points.
NKU concludes the regular season Saturday night with a home game against Indianapolis at 7:45 p.m. The Norse then begin GLVC Tournament play Feb. 27 at a site to be determined, most likely at either Quincy or Saint Joseph's.
