Sat., Jan. 19 - Fort Myers, Fla.
Alico Arena (4,500)
NKU (4-10, 2-4 A-Sun) at Florida Gulf Coast (12-8, 4-3), 5:15 p.m.
NKU Radio: WCVX 1050 AM
•Jim Kelch (play-by-play) & Steve Moeller (color)
Series Record: First meeting
NORSE NOTES (FIVE STARTERS & ONE)
1• NKU is 4-10 overall after dropping a 71-59 decision at Stetson on Thursday night. The Norse are 2-4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
2• Stetson shot 57.1 percent from the floor in the second half to rally from a 31-27 deficit at the break. The Hatters used a 25-10 run early in the second half to gain control and win their fourth consecutive game.
3•
Chad Jackson scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead NKU.
Ethan Faulkner added 12 points and five assists.
4• NKU is now 3-3 this season when leading at the half.
5• This is the first meeting between NKU and Florida Gulf Coast.
+1• NKU is 10-5 all-time in games played in Florida.
LINE THEM UP: NKU made just four trips to the free-throw line Thursday night - the fewest attempts in school history. Prior to Thursday, the Norse single-game record for fewest attempts at the line was five, which was set six times (most recently last March against Southern Indiana). NKU did make all four of its attempts on Thursday night.
Ironically, almost a year to the date earlier (Jan. 14, 2012), Drury shot 51 free throws against visiting NKU - the most attempts at the line ever taken against the Norse.
CAREER NIGHT: NKU freshman guard
Anthony Monaco scored a career-high five points and grabbed a career-best four rebounds against Stetson. Monaco dished out a pair of assists in that game.
HATS OFF: Stetson finished with a 26-14 advantage in points off turnovers Thursday night. The Hatters took advantage of 17 NKU turnovers - 10 of those in the second half - to rally for the victory. Stetson also finished with a 38-22 edge in points in the paint.
SECOND-HALF TREND: NKU has been outscored 442-397 in the second half this season. The Norse have fared much better in the first half, as opponents have outscored NKU by just a 405-391 margin before the break.
STETSON RECAP: 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 NKU in the Edmunds Center on Thursday night.
NKU 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.
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.
ABOUT FGCU: Florida Gulf Coast is 12-8 overall, 4-3 in the A-Sun. The Eagles lost in overtime to Lipscomb on Thursday night, 87-78, snapping FGCU's nine-game home winning streak.
