Box score | (Photos by David S. Williams)
DeLAND, Fla. – Chris Perez ignited a game-changing 25-10 run in the second half with 10 of his 17 points as Stetson rallied for a 71-59 victory over Northern Kentucky in the Edmunds Center on Thursday night.
Northern Kentucky (4-10 overall, 2-4 Atlantic Sun Conference) owned a 33-27 lead after
John Staley's basket to open the second half. Stetson countered by scoring the next nine points to grab a 36-33 advantage on a layup by Perez.
Chad Jackson's basket cut the Stetson lead to 36-35, but the Hatters responded by scoring 16 of the next 24 points to build a 52-43 advantage on Aaron Graham's 3-pointer with 8:23 remaining. Graham scored eight of his 13 points in the second half as the Hatters shot 57.1 percent from the floor after the break.
“We let them shoot 57 percent from the field in the second half and that allowed them to score 44 points after the break,” NKU head coach
Dave Bezold said. “We just were not tough enough in the second half. That's the bottom line.”
Jackson netted 11 of his team-leading 15 points in the first half as NKU forged a 31-27 lead at the break. The Norse held Stetson to 40.7 percent shooting from the field in the first half and limited Perez to five points. NKU also controlled the boards (18-13 rebound advantage) and led despite seven turnovers.
All of that changed drastically in the second half. Stetson used its superior size to even up the rebounding totals at 31 by game's end. The Hatters also took advantage of 10 Norse turnovers in the second half to key the big run.
“You can't make turnovers and expect to win on the road,” Bezold said. “Stetson is a very good team, and they took advantage of it in the second half.”
Stetson (8-10 overall, 5-2 A-Sun) finished the game at 49.1 percent shooting from the field and extended its winning streak to four games. Joel Naburgs scored 17 points and added eight assists for the Hatters, while Graham and Adam Pegg each finished with 13.
Ethan Faulkner scored 12 points, dished out five assists and collected four steals for NKU, while Jackson pulled down eight rebounds and added four steals.
Eshaunte Jones scored eight points for the Norse, who were 9-for-25 from 3-point range.
Tyler White and
Jack Flournoy each scored six points, while
Anthony Monaco and Stretch Watson both finished with five points. The Norse hit all four free throws they attempted Thursday night.
Thursday marked the first meeting between the two schools in men's basketball. NKU is now 10-5 all-time in games played in the state of Florida.
NKU concludes the road trip Saturday with an A-Sun game at Florida Gulf Coast at 5:15 p.m.
