Northern Kentucky University Athletics

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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University's DeAndre Nealy swatted his way into school history Saturday afternoon and led the 15th-ranked Norse to a 69-55 win over No. 11 Southern Indiana.

Nealy scored 16 points and set a Norse single-season record for blocked shots as NKU won its sixth consecutive game. The 6-foot-6 rejection machine blocked three shots to bring his season's total to 74. He surpassed Patrick Holt's previous NKU record of 73 blocks when he swatted a shot by Southern Indiana's Lawrence Thomas with 4:45 remaining in the game.

NKU, which improved to 21-4 overall, 13-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, held Southern Indiana to 37.5 percent shooting from the field to win the showdown. The Norse made 52 percent of their attempts and also forced the Screaming Eagles into 21 turnovers.

“We beat two nationally ranked teams this week, and we had a lot of guys step up in this win,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said, noting the Norse also knocked off No. 12 Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday night. “It was great to see DeAndre set the record for blocked shots, but he also did a good job of finishing inside offensively. This was an outstanding effort against a very good team, and I felt our guys really played well.”  

Ethan Faulkner added 12 points and five assists for NKU, which clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming GLVC Tournament. Eshaunte Jones scored 11 points for the Norse, who avenged last month's 69-68 loss at Southern Indiana.

Jon Van Hoose made a trio of 3-pointers and added nine points for NKU, which is now 53-6 all-time in The Bank of Kentucky Center. The Norse are 56-129 all-time against nationally ranked opponents, including a 3-3 record this season.

NKU held Southern Indiana to 34.8 percent shooting from the field in the first half and owned a 33-25 lead at the break. Norse reserves Stretch Watson and Tony Rack each scored five points in the first half, while Jalen Billups added four points off the bench.

Watson converted a pair of lobs into alley-oop dunks. Faulkner and Chad Jackson picked up assists on the dunks by Watson, a 6-7 junior forward.

After the Screaming Eagles rallied to cut the deficit to 39-38, the Norse used a 14-4 run to extend the lead to 53-42.

NKU eventually led by as many as 17 points late in the game and snapped a three-game losing streak in the series against Southern Indiana. The Screaming Eagles are 48-19 all-time against the Norse.

Thomas led Southern Indiana (20-5 overall, 12-5 GLVC) with 14 points. Brandon Hogg and Isaac McClure each finished with 10 points. The Screaming Eagles had knocked off top-ranked Bellarmine 75-72 on Thursday night.

NKU plays host to No. 1 Bellarmine at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night in The Bank of Kentucky Center. The defending national champion Knights defeated Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday and are 23-2 overall.

Earlier this season in Louisville, Ky., Bellarmine posted a 64-60 win over NKU.