Game Notes

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky will wrap up its brief two-game homestand when it hosts Ohio Mid-Western at 7 p.m. Saturday evening. The Norse defeated North Carolina A&T, 68-55, in their 2014-15 home opener on Wednesday. Saturday's contest is part of a doubleheader with NKU's women's basketball team, who is hosting Loyola (Chicago) at 4 p.m.

As part of the doubleheader, NKU will be playing for #22on22 in honor of Mount St. Joseph's Lauren Hill. Representatives from The Cure Starts Now will be on hand to accept donations and, between the men's and women's games, fans will have the opportunity to participate in the #Layups4Lauren Challenge.

Northern Kentucky University Norse (1-2 Overall, 0-0 Atlantic Sun)
Ohio Mid-Western Rams  (0-3 Overall)
Sat., Nov. 22 - 7:00 p.m. (ET)
The Bank of Kentucky Center (9,400) in Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: ESPN3 with Brady Laber (play-by-play) and Amber Stocks-Whitford (analysis)
Radio: 55KRC (550 AM) with Jim Kelch (play-by-play) and Steve Moeller (analysis)

Bezold's 300th Game

Wednesday's home contest against North Carolina A&T was head coach Dave Bezold's 300th game at the helm of Northern Kentucky's men's basketball program. The Norse provided Bezold with a 68-55 victory over NC A&T to run his record to 182-118 (11th season). The 182 wins are second-most all-time at NKU, trailing Hall-of-Famer Ken Shields' 306 victories from 1988-2004. His .607 winning percentage also trails Shields, who won .643 percent of his games.

Long Distance Dialing

Northern Kentucky has been dialing up the long-range shots this season, averaging 19.3 three-point attempts per game. The Norse are knocking them down to the tune of 6.3 trifectas per contest and a .328 shooting average. Over the last two games, NKU is 17-of-42 (40.5 percent).  Following a 7-for-11 performance versus NC A&T, Cole Murray leads the Norse with nine triples and 56.3 percent (9-of-16) three-point average.

True Team Effort

Through three games, 13 of the 15 players on NKU's roster have seen the floor. Ten of those players have played in all three contests, and nine players are averaging over 10 minutes per game. Freshman guard Tayler Persons leads the pack, playing 29.0 minutes per game. Anthony Monaco (27.3), Chad Jackson (23.0), Jake Giesler (20.7), Cole Murray (18.7), Jalen Billups (17.7), Tyler White (16.0), Todd Johnson (12.7) and Daniel Camps (10.3) also average 10 minutes per game or more.

Murray From Three

Sophomore guard Cole Murray found his stride from deep against North Carolina A&T. He entered Wednesdayís contest 2-for-5 (40 percent) on the season, but went off for a career-high seven trifectas. What is most impressive is that it only took 11 attempts to reach the seven baskets. One of Murrayís attempts was rushed to beat the shot clock. Murrayís 21 points in the game is also a career high for the Delphi, Indiana, native.

He is now 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) from three-point territory this year and is averaging 9.0 points per game, second on the team.

Scouting Ohio Mid+Western

The Ohio Mid+Western Rams sit at 0-3 overall coming into Saturdayís contest, dropping decisions to Saint Francis (Ind.)  (113-65), Huntington (Ind.) (85-69) and Bethel (Tenn.) (80-66). Midwestern is surrendering 92.7 points per game, while only scoring 66.7 on the offensive end. Offensively, OMW is paced by sophomore guard Trent Donald, freshman guard Brennan Gross and junior guard DeVoe Armstrong.

Last Time Out: NC A&T

Northern Kentucky used a career-night from sophomore guard Cole Murray to run out to a huge lead on North Carolina A&T, before a late charge by the Aggies resulted in a 68-55 Norse victory. Cole Murray knocked down 7-of-11 three-point shots for 21 points, recording career highs for threes made, threes attempted and points scored. Tayler Persons and Jalen Billups each chimed in with 13 points to help NKU notch its first victory of the season, improving the Norse to 1-2 overall.