Mon., Dec. 31
Jacksonville, Fla. – Veterans Memorial Arena (14,091)
NKU (2-6) at Jacksonville (5-7), 7:15 p.m.
NKU Radio: WQRT 1160 AM
•Jim Kelch (play-by-play) & Steve Moeller (color)
Series Record: First meeting
NORSE NOTES (FIVE STARTERS & ONE)
1• NKU owns a two-game winning streak after knocking off Navy, 55-46, in Annapolis, Md., on Dec. 22.
2• NKU's Ernest “Stretch” Watson scored a career-high 19 points - including 11 straight in the second half - to lead the Norse past Navy.
3•
Jalen Billups added 14 points (7-for-7 shooting from the field) and nine rebounds against Navy.
4• NKU dominated the boards against Navy, finishing with a 35-20 advantage in rebounds.
5• NKU is meeting Jacksonville for the first time.
+1• NKU is trying to win three consecutive road games for the first time since last February (at Lewis, UW-Parkside and Kentucky Wesleyan).
IN FLORIDA: NKU is 9-3 all-time in games played in the state of Florida. The Norse have not visited the Sunshine State since the 2005-06 season, when NKU lost to Nova Southeastern and defeated Lynn (Fla.) during a two-game trip.
STRETCH SINKS NAVY: NKU senior forward Ernest “Stretch” Watson enjoyed his finest game as a member of the Norse on Dec. 22 with a career-high 19 points against Navy. Watson scored 11 consecutive points in the second half - including a trio of 3-pointers - that ignited NKU's 55-46 win. The Norse trailed by a point (38-37) when Watson took over, hitting a jumper and three straight treys to give NKU a 48-38 edge.
Watson averages 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. His previous career-high point total was 18, which he netted twice last season.
DOMINATING WEEK: NKU sophomore center
Jalen Billups shot a blistering 76.5 percent from the field in two victories last week, netting 14 points in both games. Billups collected the first double-double of his career with 14 points and 10 rebounds during a 54-52 win at Hampton. He netted all 14 of his points in the second half, including a pair of jumpers from outside the free-throw line, to key the NKU victory.
Billups capped his week by going 7-for-7 from the field for 14 points with nine rebounds at Navy. He is shooting 61.1 percent from the field (No. 2 in the Atlantic Sun Conference) and averages 10.3 points per game. The 6-foot-6 Cincinnati native also leads the A-Sun in blocked shots at 1.6 bpg.
BETTER TO GIVE: NKU senior guard
Eshaunte Jones dished out a career-high seven assists against Navy. Jones also netted 13 points in that victory and leads NKU in scoring at 13.0 points per game.
NEARING 600: NKU senior point guard
Ethan Faulkner enters the Jacksonville game with 597 career points. He is looking to become the 58th player in Norse history to reach 600 career points. Faulkner leads NKU in assists (2.6 apg).
UNDER 50: NKU's defense limited Navy to just 46 points, marking the first time since Jan. 12, 2012 (a 62-36 win at Missouri S&T), the Norse held an opponent below 50 points.
STREAKING: NKU is looking for its first three-game winning streak as a Division I program. The last time the Norse won at least three straight games was a year ago, when NKU forged a six-game winning streak in February. During that run, NKU also won three road games.
The longest winning streak in Norse history is 16, set during the 1994-95 season.
NEW YEAR'S EVE = NEW ERA: NKU plays its first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference game Dec. 31 against Jacksonville. The Norse competed in the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference from 1985-2012, and joined the A-Sun this season while reclassifying to Division I.
In its first-ever GLVC game on Dec. 21, 1985, NKU dropped a 63-62 decision to Bellarmine in Louisville, Ky. In that game, NKU freshman guard Derek Fields scored 30 points, but Bellarmine's Steve Miller hit two free throws with four seconds remaining to seal the win for the Knights.
ABOUT JACKSONVILLE: The Dolphins are 5-7 and play at Indiana on Friday before facing NKU on Monday night.
Jacksonville is led by Jarvis Haywood, who averages 11.2 points per game. The Dolphins are 3-1 at home this season.
BIG-TIME HISTORY: With a starting frontcourt that measured 7-foot-2, 7-foot and 6-foot-10, Jacksonville advanced to the 1970 NCAA Division I national championship game against UCLA, losing to the Bruins, 80-69. The Dolphins had knocked off Big Ten champion Iowa and top-ranked Kentucky to win the Mideast Region, then defeated St. Bonaventure in the Final Four.
That Jacksonville team featured future NBA Hall of Fame center Artis Gilmore (pictured on the left), a 7-foot-2 inside force who averaged a whopping 22.7 rebounds per game in his two-year career for the Dolphins. Gilmore averaged 26.5 points and 22.2 rebounds per contest as a junior as the Dolphins finished as national runner-up.
Jacksonville also had 7-foot Pembrook Burrows at the high post, and 6-10 Rod McIntyre at forward on that 1970 team.
NORTH FLORIDA NEXT: NKU concludes its season-opening 10-game road trip Jan. 2 with an A-Sun contest at North Florida. The Norse play their home opener Jan. 5 against South Carolina Upstate in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
