Box Score (PDF)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Tayler Persons did a little bit of everything for the Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists, but a three-point basket from Toledo's Julius Brown with 0.7 left gave the Rockets a 57-55 win on Saturday afternoon at The Bank of Kentucky Center.
The Norse were able to build up an early advantage in the first half, leading by as many as 17 points, but tenacious defense and timely shooting allowed the Rockets to chip away at the NKU lead in the second frame to set up the dramatic final shot.
With the Norse leading by two points and 4.6 seconds remaining, Toledo's JD Weatherspoon was fouled on a dunk attempt. The first free throw was true, the last of Weatherspoon's game-high 18 points, but the second rattled off the rim and was tipped out of bounds by a Norse player, allowing a final chance for Toledo.
The inbound pass came in to Justin Drummond, who found Brown in the corner to give Toledo its only lead of the contest. Brown finished with eight points on the night.
The loss gave NKU a 6-9 record to finish nonconference play for the 2014-15 season. Toledo, the favorite to win the Mid-American Conference, now stands at 8-5 on the year.
Tyler White added 10 points for the Norse, with seven coming in the second half, while Jalen Billups had nine points. Chad Jackson picked up six rebounds in the first 7:34 of the contest, finishing with seven boards on the night to lead NKU.
The Norse raced out to a 12-3 lead in the opening five minutes of the contest, punctuated by a Jalen Billups jam to close out a 7-0 run. The Rockets composed themselves, however, rolling off three-straight baskets to close the gap to 12-9.
Anthony Monaco ended a three-minute scoring drought for the Norse with a three-pointer from the top of the key and the Norse were back in control as the NKU defense held Toledo to 1-of-12 shooting over a seven-minute span, and limited the Rockets to just four field goals over the final 13:27 of the first half.
Persons and Billups keyed a 15-3 run late in the first half, pushing the Norse lead to 17 points at 34-17 with 1:10 left until the break. Weatherspoon added a late three-pointer for Toledo to make the halftime score 34-20.
The Rockets picked up the pace in the second half, getting fastbreak buckets from Brown and Jonathan Williams to cut the Norse lead to 11 points at 37-26 five minutes into the second stanza. The run extended to 11-0 in favor of Toledo as the Norse fought through a cold streak of over four minutes until a rebound basket from Daniel Camps jumpstarted the Black and Gold.
Toledo's aggressive defense continued to cause the Norse fits as the Rockets chipped away at the lead, getting the deficit as close as four points (47-43) with six minutes to play. Tyler White came through in the clutch, converting a four-point play to double the Norse lead to 51-43 at the 5:27 mark.
But again the Rockets fought back, putting together an 8-0 run that closed out with Nathan Boothe's first points of the night, an old-fashioned three-point play the Norse lead to just one point at 52-51 with 2:46 to go.
Again, it was White with the answer, hitting a triple on the left wing to give the Norse a cushion with just over a minute to go. After Julius Brown hit a layup on the other end of the floor, Cole had an open look from the right corner, but the shot was off target and the Rockets came away with the rebound to set up the dramatic final seconds of the game.
The Norse hit the road next weekend to open the Atlantic Sun Conference schedule against rival Lipscomb. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 as well as on ESPN 1530, with Jim Kelch and Steve Moeller on the call. Fans can also receive live updates by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
