Northern Kentucky University Athletics

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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Chris Knight was an unstoppable offensive machine Saturday night during Northern Kentucky University's 87-69 victory against Indianapolis.

Knight scored a career-high 27 points – 20 of those in the second half - as NKU bounced back from a loss to Southern Indiana on Thursday. The 6-foot-7 senior forward was 9-for-10 from the field and made all nine of his free-throw attempts for NKU.

“I've been happy with Chris all year, with the exception of Thursday night and a couple practices,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “Sometimes when you're not in the scoring column as high as you think, your focus goes in the wrong direction. We showed on film how we were not tough against Southern Indiana on Thursday, and Chris was part of that. He took that constructive self-criticism and he applied it tonight.

“He made a comment that he didn't like what he saw on film, our seniors didn't like what they saw on film and that was the factor of our success tonight. They did something about it; they didn't talk about it, they applied it tonight on the court.”

Senior guard Dennis Gagai added nine points for NKU, which is 5-1 overall, 1-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Senior guard Malcolm Eleby dished out eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds for the Norse, who shot 55.8 percent from the field.

NKU used a 14-3 run to end the first half that extended a 28-24 lead into a 42-27 advantage at the break. Ethan Faulkner scored six points to spark the Norse spurt.

In the second half, Knight took over by pouring in 20 points. Included were a pair of vicious dunks as NKU rolled past the visiting Greyhounds.

“I just tried to bounce back from the last game,” Knight said. “Everybody knows they played poorly against Southern Indiana. I just tried to bounce back and get our team a win. I wanted to push it, push our team and just get the victory.”

Bobby Shannon added a career-high 17 points for the Norse, who are ranked 20th nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. NKU now holds a 35-28 lead in the all-time series against Indianapolis.

Bezold said he was pleased with how his team responded after losing on Thursday night and the mental toughness NKU displayed Saturday.

“Toughness is not just certain things, it's everything,” he said. “It takes into account your focus, fighting through called screens on defense, and willing to do things you have to, to get good shots for not only yourself but your teammates. Tonight I thought it was 40 minutes.”

Wilbur O'Neal scored 17 points to lead Indianapolis (3-2 overall, 0-1 GLVC). The Greyhounds, who made national headlines last month by stunning Division I powerhouse Tennessee in an exhibition game, shot just 39.3 percent from the field against NKU.

NKU returns to action Tuesday by playing host to Indiana-East at 7 p.m. The Norse then hit the road Saturday to take on nationally ranked West Liberty (W.Va.).