NKU/UNC photo gallery
Mon., Dec. 30 - Fort Myers, Fla. - 7:05 p.m.
Alico Arena (4,633)
Northern Kentucky (4-8) at Florida Gulf Coast (6-7)
NKU Radio: WQRT 1160 AM
•Jim Kelch (play-by-play) & Steve Moeller (color)
Series Record: FGCU leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: FGCU 60, NKU 53 (2-14-13)
NKU BEGINS CONFERENCE PLAT AT FGCU
Norse (4-8) visit "Dunk City" on Monday night
NORSE NOTES (FIVE STARTERS & ONE)
1• NKU saw its three-game winning streak halted during a 75-60 loss at No. 19 North Carolina on Friday.
2• North Carolina finished with 15 blocks and pulled away from NKU. The Tar Heels, who held a 35-30 lead at the break, rejected 10 shots during the second half.
3•
Tyler White led four NKU players in double figures with 13 points, 11 of those in the first half.
Jalen Billups, whose first-half dunk made ESPN SportsCenter's "Top 10 Plays" at No. 3, finished with 12 points.
4• The Norse shot 33.3 percent from the field.
5• NKU is 10-6 all-time in games played in the state of Florida.
+1• NKU is 0-2 all-time against Florida Gulf Coast.
NORSE BEGIN CONFERENCE PLAY: Northern Kentucky begins Atlantic Sun Conference play Monday night with a road game against defending league champion Florida Gulf Coast. The game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. in Fort Myers, Fla.
NKU is 4-8 overall entering conference play, while Florida Gulf Coast is 6-7.
NKU concludes the road trip Wednesday with a 7 p.m. contest against Stetson in DeLand, Fla. The Norse then play host to Jacksonville at 7 p.m. Saturday in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
UNC RECAP: No. 19 North Carolina finished with 15 blocked shots Friday night and pulled away for a 75-60 win over visiting Northern Kentucky in the Smith Center.
The Tar Heels, who held just a 35-30 lead at the break, rejected 10 shots by NKU in the second half. The Norse made just 27.3 percent from the field during the final 20 minutes.
Jalen Billups rammed home a dunk off an offensive rebound with less than a minute left in the first half to pull the Norse within 33-30. Earlier in the game, North Carolina had led by as many as 14 points.
Tyler White scored 13 points for NKU, which saw its three-game winning streak halted. White sparked the Norse's first-half rally by netting 11 points before the break.
Billups finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, while
Jack Flournoy and
Jordan Jackson each added 10 points. The Norse shot 33.3 percent from the field for the game and committed just eight turnovers.
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: NKU sophomore
Jalen Billups became just the second NKU athlete to ever be featured on ESPN SportsCenter's "Top 10 Plays" on Friday night after his resounding left-handed dunk off an offensive rebound made No. 3 on the list.
The other Norse to make the "Top 10 Plays" was
Chad Jackson, who also gained the national recognition with a stick-back dunk against Kennesaw State last season.
Billups averages 9.1 points per game and is shooting 61.4 percent from the field, which is No. 2 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. He also has a team-leading 12 blocked shots this season.
STEAL THE DEAL: NKU junior guard
Jordan Jackson is No. 2 in the Atlantic Sun Conference with an average of 1.7 steals per game. Jackson also leads the Norse in scoring at 13.9 points per game, and he tops the team in rebounding at 4.5 boards per contest and assists at 3.1 apg.
TREY-RIFFIC: Norse sophomore forward
Jack Flournoy is No. 2 in the conference in 3-point shooting at 43.8 percent. Flournoy is 21-for-48 from behind the arc. He averages 7.4 points per contest.
TO THE POINT: Norse sophomore point guard
Todd Johnson leads the team in minutes played (29.3 mpg) and is the only player to start all 12 games this season. Johnson averages 7.8 points per contest.
ABOUT FGCU: The Eagles enter Monday's game with a 6-7 overall record. FGCU is led by guard Brett Comer, who averages 14.5 points per game. Comer leads the Atlantic Sun Conference with an average of 5.5 assists per game.
Bernard Thompson is scoring 14.3 points per contest, while Chase Fieler averages 13.6 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game. FGCU began the season 4-1, but the Eagles have dropped six of their last eight games.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST FGCU: On Feb. 14, 2013, Bernard Thompson and Chase Fieler combined to score their team's final 19 points as FGCU rallied for a 60-53 victory over NKU in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
After NKU gained a 46-41 edge on the trey by
Eshaunte Jones with 10:04 left on the clock, Florida Gulf Coast went on an 11-1 run to take the lead for good at 52-47. Thompson netted eight points – a pair of 3-pointers and a fade-away jumper – to ignite the run, while Fieler scored three points.
Thompson ended the game with a steal and breakaway dunk as time expired. He finished with 18 points, three assists and two steals. Fieler added 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and eight rebounds for FGCU, which would become the Cinderella story of the NCAA Tournament by becoming the first 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16.
