DeAndre Nealy (15) blocks a Lewis shot on Saturday.
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Box score
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. –
DeAndre Nealy blocked a potential upset from happening Saturday as No. 9 Northern Kentucky University held on for a 77-66 win over visiting Lewis.
Nealy scored 17 points and blocked seven shots, including three rejections during the final three minutes, to lead NKU. After Lewis rallied from a 61-44 deficit to pull within four points (68-64), Nealy also scored three key baskets in the final minutes as the Norse fought off the late comeback in front of a homecoming crowd of 2,398.
“DeAndre seemed to be everywhere during those final minutes of the game, and he made big play after big play when we needed it,” NKU head coach
Dave Bezold said. “Lewis did a great job with the comeback, but we were able to hold on and get a win against a very good team.”
Nealy finished off a pass from
Chad Jackson with a basket to extend NKU's advantage to 70-64 with 4:27 left. The 6-foot-6 senior center later blocked a Ryan Jackson layup attempt with NKU holding a four-point lead, and he extended the Norse advantage to 72-66 with 2:10 remaining with a thunderous dunk over two Flyers.
NKU improved to 15-2 overall, 7-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse were 15-for-29 from 3-point range and shot 55.1 percent from the field.
Jon Van Hoose scored 14 points for the Norse, and
Ethan Faulkner added 13 points.
Tony Rack and
Eshaunte Jones each finished with 12 points. Those four players combined for 14 of the team's 15 treys on Saturday.
Van Hoose entered Saturday leading the nation in 3-pointers made at 3.9 per contest. The senior guard drained four treys against Lewis. Rack and Jones also buried four 3-pointers apiece, while Faulkner made a pair of treys.
Lewis (11-6 overall, 3-6 in the GLVC) jumped out to a 13-5 lead, but NKU buried nine 3-pointers in the first half to gain a 42-35 lead at the break. Nealy also made his presence known inside with 11 consecutive points during one stretch in the first half.
The Norse used a 17-4 run in the second half to build a 61-44 lead with 10:48 remaining when Jones hit a 3-pointer. Lewis then made its big rally, only to watch Nealy's late-game heroics extinguish the possible upset.
Earlier this season against Urbana, Nealy tied the NKU single-game record with eight blocked shots. The Detroit, Mich., native has now rejected 47 shots this season.
Nealy and Rack each grabbed six rebounds to lead NKU, which finished with a 34-23 edge on the boards. Rack also dished out a career-high six assists. The Norse held Lewis to 43.1 percent shooting from the field.
NKU owns a 38-16 lead in the all-time series against Lewis and has won the last five meetings. The Norse are 24-4 at home all-time against the Flyers.
NKU plays host to top-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan (15-2) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in The Bank of Kentucky Center. The Panthers were upset by Indianapolis on Saturday, 80-77, in Owensboro, Ky.
