Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Box score

BATAVIA, Ohio – David Palmer scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Northern Kentucky University to a 90-65 win at UC-Clermont on Monday night.

Palmer, a 6-foot-9 senior center, made 10 of 12 shots from the field as NKU (3-1) won its third consecutive game. He scored 17 points during the second half as the Norse pulled away and improved to 6-0 all-time against UC-Clermont (2-3).

With NKU holding a 44-36 lead early in the second half, Palmer keyed a 12-3 run by scoring eight points. Palmer capped the spurt with a dunk off an assist from Scott Bibbins at the 14:28 mark to give NKU a 56-39 advantage.

The Norse shot 59.7 percent from the field and held UC-Clermont to just 37.5 percent shooting. NKU won the rebounding battle by a 38-29 margin and finished with 23 assists as a team.

UC-Clermont, which is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, owned a 22-20 lead midway through the first half. NKU, however, used a 16-5 spurt to build a 36-27 advantage on a Bibbins basket with 3:29 remaining in the first half.

The Norse shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half and were never threatened by the smaller Cougars. Palmer was 7-for-8 from the field in the second half and completely dominated the inside for NKU.

Bibbins added 15 points and seven assists for NKU, while Dustin Maguire scored 14 points. Corey Sorrell scored a career-best 12 points for the Norse, and Ethan Faulkner dished out a career-high nine assists.

Chris Knight and Yan Moukoury each finished with nine points for NKU. Travis Donald scored 19 points to lead UC-Clermont.

NKU will play in the Gary Miller Classic at Erie, Pa., this Friday and Saturday. The Norse play Edinboro (Pa.) Friday at 6 p.m. NKU concludes the two-day event Saturday at 8 p.m. by meeting host Gannon.