NKU watched a 13-point lead in the second half disappear at Indianapolis.
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INDIANAPOLIS – After watching Northern Kentucky University dominate the first half Thursday night, Indianapolis scoring machine Darius Adams took over during the final 20 minutes and led his team to a come-from-behind win against the nationally ranked Norse.
Adams poured in 24 of his 36 points in the second half as Indianapolis rallied from a 13-point deficit to upset No. 21 NKU, 81-76, in Nicoson Hall. Leland Brown netted 12 of his 14 points in the second half for the Greyhounds, who shot 66.7 percent from the field after the break to pull off the upset.
Indianapolis also avenged an 87-69 loss at NKU in December and improved to 19-7 overall, 12-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
NKU owned a 61-48 lead with 10:39 remaining in the game, but Indianapolis used a 19-5 run during the next five minutes to take a 67-66 advantage. DeWann Squires capped the spurt by draining a 3-pointer from the corner while being fouled, and he then hit the free throw to give the Greyhounds a 67-66 lead.
Chris Knight responded with a basket at the 4:58 mark to give NKU a 68-67 lead, but Adams drew a foul on the ensuing possession and converted two free throws to put Indianapolis up by a point. Knight hit a pair of free throws with 4:08 remaining to give NKU a 70-69 lead, but Indianapolis scored the next six points and held on for the victory.
Adams, a senior guard who also dished out six assists, made four straight free throws in the final 18 seconds to seal the win for Indianapolis. He entered Thursday averaging a GLVC-leading 23.1 points per game.
Erik Stenger scored a career-high 15 points for NKU, which dropped to 19-6 overall, 12-5 in the GLVC.
Malcolm Eleby and
Josh Tabb each added 12 points for the Norse, who were denied their 20th win of the season for the second straight game.
NKU held Indianapolis to 34.4 percent shooting from the field in the first half to build a 40-31 lead at the break.
Dennis Gagai scored eight points during the first half for NKU, which made 46.7 percent of its shots before intermission.
Adrian Moss scored 13 points and dished out nine assists for Indianapolis, which knocked off NKU for the second straight season in Nicoson Hall. NKU still holds a 35-29 lead in the all-time series against Indianapolis.
Knight finished with 11 points for NKU, which is fourth in this week's NCAA Division II Midwest Region poll. Gagai added 10 points for the Norse.
NKU visits No. 6 Southern Indiana at 4:15 p.m. Saturday to wrap up the regular season. The Norse will play host to a first-round game in the GLVC Tournament on Feb. 26 against an opponent to be determined.
