Chris Knight (24) led NKU with 15 points against Grand Valley State.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team plays host to the 28th annual John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic this weekend in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Christian Brothers (1-0) takes on 14th-ranked Tusculum (1-0) in Friday's opener at 5:30 p.m. In the nightcap, NKU meets Lake Erie (1-1) at 7:45 p.m. On Saturday, the consolation game is at 5:30 p.m., followed by the championship at 7:45 p.m.
NKU is 0-1 after dropping a 57-54 decision to Grand Valley State last Sunday in Allendale, Mich. The loss snapped a streak of 27 consecutive season-opening victories by the Norse.
Justin Ringler scored six points in the final minute of the game to lead Grand Valley State. Ringler, who finished with 24 points, gave Grand Valley State a 51-49 lead with 59 seconds remaining by converting a driving layup. He later added four free throws in the final 12 seconds to seal the win for the Lakers, who are ranked 13th nationally in the NCAA Division II poll.
Chris Knight scored 15 points to lead NKU, while teammate
David Palmer added 12 points and nine rebounds. Palmer's basket with 9:35 remaining gave NKU a 43-38 lead, but Grand Valley State used a 9-4 spurt to tie the game at 47-all.
NKU shot 42 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle by a 32-29 margin. The Norse held Grand Valley State without a 3-point field goal (0-for-10), but the Lakers were 17-for-24 at the free-throw line.
LAST YEAR'S GRIFFIN CLASSIC: NKU finished 2-0 in last season's John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic by posting wins against Olivet Nazarene (75-57) and UC-Clermont (87-41).
The Norse are 9-1 in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic under head coach
Dave Bezold. NKU's only setback in the event since Bezold became head coach was a 66-53 loss to Findlay in 2007.
ABOUT LAKE ERIE: The Storm is 1-1 after suffering a 93-67 loss to Saint Joseph's on Monday night in Painesville, Ohio. Eric Worthy scored 14 points to lead Lake Erie in that loss, while teammates Joe Roberts and Jimmy Kerrigan each added 12 points. Saint Joseph's, however, shot 52.3 percent from the field and coasted past the Storm.
NKU has never met Lake Erie in men's basketball. Lake Erie is an NCAA Division II member and will join the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2010-11.
ABOUT TUSCULUM: The 14th-ranked Pioneers, expected to be one of the top teams in Division II, are 1-0 after opening the season with an 81-64 win against Tennessee Wesleyan on Monday night. Kyle Moore poured in a game-high 29 points, and Wes Taylor grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds to lead Tusculum.
This will mark the first meeting between NKU and Tusculum in men's basketball.
