Thurs., Jan. 30 - Jacksonville, Fla. - 7:30 p.m.
UNF Arena (5,800)
Northern Kentucky (8-13, 4-5 A-Sun) at North Florida (11-11, 5-4 A-Sun)
NKU Radio: WQRT 1160 AM
•Jim Kelch (play-by-play) & Steve Moeller (color)
Series Record: NKU leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: NKU 70, UNF 64 (1-6-14)
NKU VISITS NORTH FLORIDA ON THURSDAY
Norse perfect (3-0) in all-time series against Ospreys
NORSE NOTES (FIVE STARTERS & ONE)
1• NKU is 8-13 overall after dropping a 75-74 decision to Lipscomb on Friday night. The Norse are 4-5 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
2• Lipscomb held a 13-point lead (66-53) with 3:48 remaining in the game, but NKU used full-court pressure that forced four turnovers to ignite an 18-7 run.
3•
Jordan Jackson scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for NKU.
Cole Murray equaled his career-high scoring total with 17 points, including five 3-pointers.
4• NKU is 3-0 all-time against North Florida, including a 70-64 win earlier this month in Highland Heights, Ky.
5• NKU finished with finished with 12 blocks in that win.
+1• The Norse play at Jacksonville on Saturday.
NKU HITS ROAD: Northern Kentucky begins a two-game road trip Thursday at North Florida at 7:30 p.m. The Norse are 8-13 overall, 4-5 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. North Florida is 11-11 overall, 5-4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
NKU is unbeaten (3-0) all-time against North Florida. The Norse swept the Ospreys last season and also own a 70-64 win earlier this month.
NKU concludes the road trip Saturday with a 3:15 p.m. game at Jacksonville.
FROM LONG RANGE: Norse freshman guard
Cole Murray buried five shots from 3-point range last Friday night to nearly rally NKU past Lipscomb. Murray tied his career-high scoring total with 17 points in that game.
He drained four treys in the second half as the Norse battled back from a 13-point deficit and had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute. Murray is 30-for-80 from 3-point range this season and averages 5.0 points per game.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Norse junior guard
Jordan Jackson recorded his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Lipscomb. He also added three steals and three assists in that game.
Jackson has netted double-digit scoring 15 times in the 19 games he has played in this season, including four games of 20 points or more. Jackson leads NKU in scoring at 14.8 points per game, and he is shooting 50.6 percent from the field.
IN THE BANK: The Norse are now 64-15 all-time in The Bank of Kentucky Center after the loss to Lipscomb last Friday night. NKU is 6-4 at home this season.
KEY NUMBERS: NKU is unbeaten (3-0) this season when scoring 80 points or more. The Norse are 2-11 when allowing 71 points or more. NKU is 6-2 when allowing less than 70 points. The Norse are 0-2 on Thursday this season, with the losses to USC Upstate and Mercer.
NKU/UNF MARGIN: NKU's average margin of victory against UNF in the previous three meetings has been 15.3 ppg. The Norse posted a 65-52 win at UNF last season, and they later rolled to a 72-45 victory against the Ospreys. NKU also defeated UNF earlier this month, 70-64.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST UNF: Earlier this season on Jan. 6,
Jalen Billups scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a career-high five shots as NKU posted a 70-64 victory over North Florida in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Jordan Jackson added four blocks and scored 16 points.
NKU finished with a total of 12 blocks, two shy of the single-game school record of 14 set against Thomas More on Nov. 23, 1988. The Norse held the Ospreys to 37.5 percent shooting from the field, committed just five turnovers and finished with a 40-28 scoring edge in the paint.
Tyler White scored 12 points and blocked two shots for the Norse.
Jake Giesler added 11 points off the bench in 14 minutes of action for NKU, which is 3-0 all-time against North Florida.
The Norse built a 35-31 halftime lead as Jackson scored eight points. White and Giesler each netted seven points during the first half. North Florida opened the second half with a 13-4 run to build a 44-39 advantage when Beau Beech drained a 3-pointer with 14:20 remaining. NKU countered by scoring the next seven points to take a 46-44 lead on
Dean Danos' basket.
Tied at 52-all and 7:52 left, Northern Kentucky used a 7-0 spurt to build a 59-52 lead. Jackson ignited the spurt with five straight points, and Billups capped the run with an inside basket.
