Chris Knight soars in for a dunk during the first half against Indiana-East.
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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Now that Indiana-East is out of the way, No. 23 Northern Kentucky University can devote its full attention to Saturday's NCAA Division II Top 25 showdown at No. 4 West Liberty (W.Va.).
NKU experienced little trouble in dispatching Indiana-East on Tuesday night during a 102-71 victory in The Bank of Kentucky Center. The Norse (6-1 overall) shot 59.7 percent from the field, won the rebounding battle by a 34-24 margin and forced 23 turnovers by the visiting Red Wolves.
NKU finished with 26 assists as a team, which pleased head coach
Dave Bezold.
“There really were a lot of good things that happened out there, especially the number of assists we had spread throughout the team. It wasn't just one person doing everything,” Bezold said. “We broke the 100-point mark, and I don't know when the last time we've done that. We shot the ball extremely well, but we were disappointed in offensive rebounds and the number of turnovers that we didn't need to have.
“In the second half we gave up 55 percent shooting, which just isn't good enough because we know that when we play the best teams in Division II, you can't win games, especially on the road, not being able to defend better.”
Josh Tabb and
Malcolm Eleby combined for 34 points, seven assists and five steals to spark NKU. Tabb scored 18 points and blocked three shots for NKU, which is 4-0 all-time against Indiana-East. Tabb also added four assists and two steals.
Eleby finished with 16 points, three assists and three steals. Eleby scored 14 points in the first half, while Tabb added 12 before the break as NKU built a 55-31 lead. With the score tied at 9-all, Tabb ignited an 11-0 run in the first half with seven points. His breakaway dunk capped the spurt and gave NKU a 20-9 lead, and the rout had commenced.
NKU has now won 25 consecutive games against NAIA opponents, dating back to 1993.
Chris Knight finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists for NKU, while teammates
Bobby Shannon and
Jon Van Hoose each scored 12 points. It marked the first time NKU had scored 100 points in a game since a 124-58 victory against Indiana-East on Dec. 19, 2007.
“Offensively, I think we played really well. Defensively, I think we had some spurts where we broke down, and that's not going to work out on Saturday,” NKU senior guard
Dennis Gagai said of NKU's upcoming showdown against West Liberty. “The team (West Liberty) we're playing, their offense is really good, their shooting is really good. We need to get our defense cleared up real quick.”
NKU hits the road for the first time Saturday, and the Norse will face West Liberty - the highest-scoring team in the nation - on the Hilltoppers' home court in West Liberty, W.Va.
West Liberty is currently 7-0 and averages 130.9 points per game. The Hilltoppers have scored more than 150 points in a game twice this season with a high of 157 on Nov. 16 against Point Park. West Liberty features seven players who score in double figures.
“West Liberty plays a style of basketball that you never see, and it's one that I don't know if you can get ready for in 2-3 days, but we're going to find out,” Bezold said. “We're really going to have to work hard on beating traps; they trap everything. They put a lot of pressure on you; they double-team you all over the floor. We're really going to have to have a concerted effort for 40 minutes and understand that every time the ball gets passed, they're going to trap us.
“It's going to be a very difficult game on the road against a senior-laden team that has lots of confidence.”
NKU is 52-121 all-time against nationally ranked teams. The Norse are 1-1 this season, with a victory over then-No. 4 Grand Valley State and a loss to then-No. 22 Southern Indiana.
