HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky men's basketball will wrap the non-conference portion of its 2014-15 schedule when it plays host to Toledo at The Bank of Kentucky Center at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon as part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team. The women will tip-off against Wright State at 1 p.m. 

Northern Kentucky University Norse (6-8 Overall, 0-0 Atlantic Sun)
University of Toledo Rockets (7-5 Overall, 0-0 MAC)
Sat., Jan. 3 - 4:00 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: ESPN 1530 (AM) with Jim Kelch (play-by-play) and Steve Moeller (analysis)

Fast Break Points

• NKU lost its second-straight game, a 78-74 decision at Youngstown State.
• Five Norse reached double-figures versus the Penguins for the second time this season. UC Clermont was the first.
• NKU lost despite leading in rebounds (34-31), second chance points (12-6) and points off turnovers (16-9).
• In the last six games, NKU's bench has outscored its opponents, 254-112.
• NKU lost its first game when leading at the half against YSU. The Norse are 6-1 when leading at the break, but 0-7 when trailing.
• Excluding NKU's game against West Virginia, who leads the nation in opponent turnovers, the Norse commit just 10.1 miscues per game.
• G Chad Jackson nearly registered a double-double with a season-high 16 points and nine rebounds at Youngstown State.
• F Jalen Billups posted 12 points, 10 boards against YSU, NKU's first double-double since he went for 12 & 12 vs. ETSU last year (2/6/14).
• F Jalen Billups ranks among NKU's all-time leaders in FG % (2nd, .606), blocks (11th, 73) & blocks per game (12th, 1.0).
• #DiaperDandy G Tayler Persons leads NKU in scoring (13.0 ppg), assists (3.7 apg) and steals (1.2).
• In the last six games, Persons is averaging 16.7 ppg, while White is at 11.3 and Billups at 10.8.
• G Anthony Monaco leads the A-Sun in 3-point percentage (50) and Billups leads the league in field goal percentage (63.9).

Scouting Toledo

Toledo enters at 7-5 overall and is coming off of a valiant effort at No. 2 Duke, where the Rockets fell 86-69. Julius Brown led four players in double figures for Toledo with 19 points. Justin Drummond and J.D. Weatherspoon each tallied 14 points, while Jonathon Williams added 10. The Rockets also have road losses at No. 15 VCU and Oregon.

UT averages 76.8 points per game and limits its opponents to 70.1. Brown paces four players who average double-figures at 16.2 points per game. Both Drummond and Weatherspoon score at a clip of 12.8 and Williams at 10.8.

Last Time Out: Youngstown St.

For the first time this season, Northern Kentucky failed to close out a game in which it led at halftime. NKU held a slim, 41-40, advantage at the break, but YSU opened the second-half on a 12-4 spurt and closed out the Norse, 78-74. Five players reached double-figures for NKU, led by Chad Jackson's 16 points and nine rebounds. Jalen Billups registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Tayler Persons added 15 points, while both Deontae Cole and Tyler White chipped in 12. Youngstown State's Bobby Hain went off for 22 points and 14 rebounds in the winning effort. NKU struggled at the line, connecting on just 5-of-13 for the game.

Sharp Shooting Norse

Junior forward Jalen Billups and sophomore forward Daniel Camps have been on target this season. Billups leads the Atlantic Sun at 63.9 percent (53-of-83). Camps is nipping on Billups' heals and would rank second in the Atlantic Sun in field-goal percentage at 62.5 (30-of-48). However, Camps does not have enough attempts to count in the rankings. 

From three-point territory, Anthony Monaco is knocking down 50 percent (18-of-36) of his attempts, while Deontae Cole has connected on 44.7 percent (17-of-38). Monaco's average leads the A-Sun.

Igniting Cole

Sophomore Deontae Cole has earned a spot in the starting rotation the last six games and hasn't disappointed. He scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point territory against UC Clermont and followed with seven points versus Chattanooga. Cole was one of five Norse to reach double figures against Youngstown, connecting on four triples for 12 points. The forward is 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) from three and is averaging 6.7 points per game during the last six games.

Saturday's game against Toledo will pit Cole against his hometown team. He attended Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio.

Billups Is Rewriting Career Marks

Redshirt junior forward Jalen Billups is leaving his mark on NKU's record books. He ranks among NKU's all-time leaders in FG percent (2nd, .606), blocks (11th, 73) and blocks per game (12th, 1.0). He needs one block to tie Jesse Rupe's and move into the top 10 all-time at Northern Kentucky.

Billups connected on 65.1 percent (54-of-83) of his shots during the 2011-12 campaign, a mark that ranks third in NKU's single-season records list. So far this season, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native is 53-of-83 for 63.9 percent and leads the A-Sun. His 8.7 points per game average is second-most on the team.

Billups is coming off of a double-double performance against Youngstown State, where he totalled 12 points and 10 boards. The last double-double registered by a Norse came from Billups when he put up 12 points and 12 rebounds versus East Tennessee State last season (2/6/14).