NKU's Josh Tabb (25) scored 20 points and recorded a huge steal late in the game.
Box score |
Photo gallery
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Just when it looked like Northern Kentucky University might be in big trouble,
Josh Tabb stepped in and literally stole a potential victory away from Charleston (W.Va.) on Saturday night.
Thanks to a huge defensive play by Tabb in the closing seconds, NKU survived a furious Charleston comeback and held on for a 69-66 victory in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. Tabb, who was named the recipient of the John L. Griffin Hustle Award for his effort in the two-day event, provided the biggest play of the night to help NKU remain unbeaten (3-0).
NKU had built a 19-point lead in the second half, but Charleston rallied and sliced the deficit to 64-63 with 1:06 remaining on a basket by Brandon Ross. After NKU's
Chris Knight missed a shot with 34 seconds left, the Golden Eagles had a chance to take the lead in the final seconds.
Tabb, however, stepped in and stole a pass from John White that was intended for Jon Liggins. Tabb was intentionally fouled with 12.4 seconds left and made one of two free throws to extend NKU's lead to 65-63.
Malcolm Eleby then drew a foul with 9.8 seconds left and converted two free throws to give the Norse a 67-63 advantage.
Liggins buried a 3-pointer to cut NKU's lead to 67-66 with 2.2 seconds remaining, and Tabb added two more free throws for the final margin. Tabb finished with 20 points and was 10-for-14 at the free-throw line.
“He [Tabb] is a game-player. At the end, he winds up getting a big steal when we're only up one and all of the momentum had already left us, and anything can happen at that point,” NKU head coach
Dave Bezold said. “But Josh got the steal, then he made the free throws, which were very important, and we were fortunate enough to get the win.”
NKU junior guard
Tony Rack, who scored six points in the victory, said Tabb's big play should not surprise anyone.
“He's done that all year in practice, and you knew it was going to come,” Rack said of Tabb's steal.”He always says he's a defensive specialist; we kind of joke on him saying we're waiting for that big play, and it finally came.”
Eleby set a Norse single-game record by going 17-for-17 from the free-throw line and finished with 21 points. Eleby was named the most outstanding player for NKU after averaging 20 points per contest in the two-day event.
Dan Fleming owned the previous NKU single-game record of consecutive makes from the line with 15 against IPFW on Jan. 19, 1981. Eleby's 17 made free throws also tied the NKU record held by both Derek Fields and Brenden Stowers.
Stowers tied the NKU single-game record by making 17 free throws against Southern Indiana on Jan. 18, 2003. Fields also hit 17 free throws in a game against Kentucky State on Feb. 15, 1989.
NKU owned a 54-35 lead with 10:06 remaining, but the Norse managed just two more field goals the rest of the game. Liggins rallied Charleston (2-1) by scoring 21 of his 27 points in the second half, including four 3-pointers.
“It was my fault Charleston came back because with about eight or nine minutes to go, we were up 17 or 18 points, and I decided to play the clock and score,” Bezold said. “We were going to become very patient offensively, and it took away our steam. So I blame myself for that. It took us from being aggressive to trying to milk the clock down.”
NKU finished 31-for-35 (88.6 percent) from the line. The Norse made 32.7 percent of their shots from the field and won despite Charleston's 41-29 advantage on the boards.
Ethan Faulkner added 10 points for NKU, which plays host to nationally ranked Grand Valley State next Saturday at noon.
