EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Just when it appeared Northern Kentucky University might be ready to snap Southern Indiana's 13-game winning streak, the Screaming Eagles staged a second-half rally to overcome the visiting Norse on Thursday night.
Brandon Russ netted 15 of his game-high 19 points in the second half as No. 8 Southern Indiana held off No. 19 NKU, 83-78, in the PAC Arena. The Screaming Eagles rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit with a 14-0 run to open the second half and improved to 15-2 overall, 5-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Southern Indiana shot 63 percent from the field for the game and held NKU to 29.4 percent marksmanship in the second half. Russ was 7-for-7 from the field before fouling out.
Jamar Smith added 17 points for the Screaming Eagles, who led by as many as eight points in the second half. NKU (9-4 overall, 2-2 GLVC) built a 47-36 halftime lead by shooting 65.2 percent from the field, including 6-for-7 accuracy from 3-point range.
In the second half, NKU shot just 2-for-15 from long range.
Scott Bibbins led NKU with 17 points, while teammate
DeAaron Williams scored 12.
Dustin Maguire added 11 points for the Norse.
Tony Rack and
Leslie Malone each added eight points for NKU, which was playing its third consecutive road game against a team ranked in the NCAA Division II national poll.
The Norse lost to then-No. 13 Bellarmine, 77-60, and defeated then-No. 11 Kentucky Wesleyan, in the other two games against ranked teams.
NKU plays host to Missouri-St. Louis at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
