Game Notes

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky welcomes Stetson to The Bank of Kentucky center an Atlantic Sun Conference men's basketball game. Both teams are coming off of league losses - NKU to FGCU and Stetson to Lipscomb - and are trying to get back on the winning track. NKU sits one game behind Lipscomb in the conference standings and is in fifth place. The top four teams host opening round games in the A-Sun tournament.

Northern Kentucky University Norse (10-14 Overall, 4-5 Atlantic Sun)
Stetson University Hatters (8-17 Overall, 2-7 Atlantic Sun)
Sat., Feb. 14 - 7:05 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

• Northern Kentucky fell to FGCU, 65-59, despite 19 points from Tayler Persons and nine points, 10 rebounds from Jalen Billups.
• NKU seeks to avenge an 85-75 loss to Stetson from earlier this season.
• Sitting at 10-14 overall, NKU has already surpassed last seasonís win total (9). The Norse are one win away from their 2012-13 total (11).
• NKU is second overall in the A-Sun in shooting (45.2%) and turnovers (11.8). In A-Sun games, NKU leads the league in shooting (45.9%).
• In A-Sun play, NKU has been held below 40% shooting in just one game and has held three adversaries to less than 40% (Upstate, FGCU, Lipscomb).
• F Jalen Billups ranks among NKU's all-time leaders in FG % (2nd, .629), blocks (7th, 88) & blocks per game (12th, 1.0).
• Billups leads the league and ranks fourth nationally (ESPN) in field goal percentage (69.3), a mark that currently tops NKU's record books as well. 
• Billups is averaging 15.3 ppg in A-Sun games behind 75.6 percent shooting, which leads the league by over 18 percent.
• Billups also ranks second in the league in blocks (1.7) and rebounds (7.0) in league only games.
• G Chad Jackson and Billups are climbing NKU's all-time scoring list. Billups ranks 42nd with 754 points and Jackson checks in at 43rd (745).
• G Chad Jackson is fifth in A-Sun games in shooting, making 51.6 percent of his attempts.
• #DiaperDandy G Tayler Persons leads NKU in scoring (12.5 ppg), assists (3.6 apg) and steals (1.2).
• With a 19 point effort versus FGCU, Persons registered his team-leading 16th double-digit effort and fourth in the last five games.
• White has started 13-of-the-last-14 games. He also leads NKU in made 3's (49) & is 14th in NKU's record books with 125-career treys.
• F Deontae Cole ranks among the league leaders in 3-point field-goal percent, checking in fifth at 42.0 percent.

Billups Is Rewriting Career Marks

Redshirt junior forward Jalen Billups is leaving his mark on NKUís record books. He ranks among NKU's all-time leaders in FG percent (2nd, .629), blocks (7th, 88) and blocks per game (12th, 1.0).

So far this season, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native is 115-of-166 for 69.3 percent, a total that ranks fourth in the nation (via ESPN), leads the A-Sun and, if the season ended today, would be the best in program history. 

Billups' 11.2 points per game average is second-most on the team (16th A-Sun). In Atlantic Sun Conference action, Billups is averaging 15.3 points per game (7th in A-Sun) on league-leading 75.6 percent shooting. He is also averaging 7.0 rebounds through nine league contests (3rd A-Sun).

Point Person(s)

Guard Tayler Persons has emerged as one of NKUís leaders as a true freshman. Persons has recorded double-digit scoring efforts 16 times this season, including a career-high 30 points at Chattanooga. The 30-point effort against the Mocs, coupled with a 16-point, eight assist effort at Morehead State, led to both A-Sun Newcomer and Mid-Major Madness Freshman of the Week honors. He tallied a then-career-high 23 points to lead NKU past Idaho, 79-74. Persons' efforts against EWU and Idaho garnered him A-Sun Newcomer of the Week honors. In two games versus league-leader FGCU, Persons has averaged 19.5 points and 5.0 boards.

Persons has made his presence felt all over the court for the Norse. He leads Northern Kentucky in scoring (12.5 ppg), assists (3.6 apg) and steals (1.2 spg) and is third on the squad in rebounding at 4.2 rpg.

Scouting Stetson

Stetson, which has two conference wins on the season, enters on a two-game skid. Prior to that, the Hatters had won three-in-a-row, which included an 85-75 win over NKU. Opponents post 73.6 points per game on SU, the third worst average in the A-Sun. Kentwan Smith paces Stetsonís offensive attack at 13.8 points per game on the strength of 54.8 percent (125-of-228) shooting, which is third in the league behind NKUís Jalen Billups and USC Upstateís Mike Buchanan (56.3 percent). Divine Myles (10.9) and Brian Pegg (10.6) also average double-digits.

Series Stuff - Stetson

Northern Kentucky is 2-3 all-time against Stetson, including an 85-75 defeat in DeLand, Florida, just over two weeks ago. Stetson came out firing on all cylinders and, despite strong performances from Cole Murray and Jalen Billups, shot its way to the win. Both Kentwan Smith and Divine Myles reached double-figures, with Smith also hauling in 10 boards. Brian Pegg added a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double to the mix. Cole Murray led the Norse with a career- and game-high 26 points off of a career-best eight trifectas. Jalen Billups finished with 19 points and eight caroms. NKU surrendered 58.8 percent shooting to SU, while only connecting on 44.8 percent of its attempts.

Last Time Out: FGCU

Tayler Persons led Northern Kentucky with a 19-point outing, but Florida Gulf Coast closed out the game in the final minute, 65-59. A clutch triple from Todd Johnson pulled the Norse within two, 61-59, with just under a minute left. NKU forced a missed shot from Brett Comer, but Comer corralled his own miss and found a wide-open Jamail Jones for a layin with 22 ticks on the clock. FGCU added another basket before time expired to reach the final score. Jones led all scorers with 25 points and Comer chipped in 11. Persons was joined in double-digits by Tyler White (13) and Jordan Jackson (11). Jalen Billups continued his strong conference play with a 9-point, 10-rebound effort. The leagueís shooting leader Billups finished the game 4-for-5 from the floor.