Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Photo gallery | Box score

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Dennis Gagai scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Northern Kentucky University to a 77-66 win against Indiana-East on Tuesday night.

Gagai made six 3-pointers for NKU, which snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 5-4. David Palmer added 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Norse, who rallied in the final 10 minutes to pull out the victory against the NAIA school.

Indiana-East (6-5) owned a 55-53 lead with 10:13 remaining in the game, but NKU used a 10-0 spurt to take a 63-55 advantage on Palmer's dunk with 7:37 left. The Red Wolves pulled to within 68-64 at the 2:37 mark, but Gagai buried a 3-pointer to extend the NKU lead to 71-64 with 2:02 remaining and the Norse made six free throws to seal the win.

Chris Knight also collected a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) for NKU, which has won 23 consecutive games against NAIA opponents. The Norse shot 40 percent from the field and blocked 12 shots. Palmer rejected five shots, while Knight added four blocks.

Scott Bibbins added 10 points and nine assists, while Yan Moukoury scored 10 points. NKU finished 9-for-24 from 3-point range and committed 11 turnovers.

Gagai, a 6-foot-4 junior guard from Ironton, Ohio, netted 16 points in the first half as NKU built a 41-36 lead at the break. Gagai drained four 3-pointers in the first half and converted a floater in the lane just before the end of the half to give the Norse a five-point lead at intermission.

Indiana-East battled back in the second half and eventually gained a 55-53 lead when Tyler Rigby made a 3-pointer while being fouled. He converted the free throw to cap the four-point play to give the Red Wolves a 55-53 edge, but NKU countered with its game-changing 10-0 run.

Bijon Jones led Indiana-East with 14 points, and Rigby scored 13. The Red Wolves shot 37.9 percent from the field and committed 12 turnovers.

Going into Tuesday night, NKU had averaged 111.5 points per contest in its previous two meetings with Indiana-East. Two years ago, NKU posted a 124-58 win against the Red Wolves in Regents Hall.

NKU plays host to Mount Vernon Nazarene at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in another non-conference contest in The Bank of Kentucky Center. NKU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will also hold its annual Holiday Toy Drive this Saturday as both Norse basketball teams are in action. Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to these games.

The NKU women's basketball team plays host to Saint Francis (Ind.) at 1 p.m. The Norse men follow at 3:15 p.m. Each fan that brings a toy will receive a voucher good for one free admission at a future NKU game. The voucher will be redeemable for games on Dec. 22, Dec. 23, Jan. 2 or Jan. 13.

When the doors open at noon for the women's contest, toys will be accepted until halftime of the men's game. The collected toys will be distributed among several charitable organizations in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati areas.