MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Northern Kentucky men's basketball dropped a 92-61 decision to No. 11/13 West Virginia on Friday afternoon to close non-conference play. NKU takes a 9-4 record into Horizon League play. WVU moves to 11-1 on the season.
 
STATS LEADERS

• Carson Williams finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
• Lavone Holland II joined Williams in double-figures with 10.
• Brennan Gillis matched his career-high with 10 points.
• Jordan Garnett and Jeff Garrett had balanced outings. Garnett recorded nine points and seven rebounds, while Garrett added seven points and six caroms.

 
TURNING POINT

• West Virginia opened the second half on a 12-2 run that Northern Kentucky was unable to overcome.

 
FIRST-HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse came running out of the gate, outscoring the Mountaineers, 12-4, through the first three and half minutes.
• West Virginia took its first lead at 17-15, but Northern Kentucky responded to hold a 21-17 advantage mid-way through the half.
• However, WVU outscored NKU 17-8 the remainder of the stanza.
• Holland and Williams paced the Norse with eight points each in the half, where NKU converted 44 percent of its shots compared to 42.4 percent for WVU.
• The Norse also won the rebound battle, 20-19.

 
SECOND-HALF SUMMARY

• Jordan Garnett answered West Virginia's opening basket of the half with a contested layup, but the Mountaineers used a 12-2 run to pull away.
• NKU converted just 35 percent from the floor and committed 13 miscues in the frame.
• WVU converted 62 percent in the half, and tallied 20 points off NKU's turnovers.
• Once again, the Norse won the rebound battle, 19-15.

 
GAME NOTES

• NKU wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 9-4 mark, its best in the Division I era.
• Northern Kentucky won the rebound battle, 39-34. It marks the 11^th time in 12 games in which the Norse won the battle.
• The Mountaineers entered the game leading the nation in offensive rebounds at 16, but NKU held them to 11.
• The Norse committed a season-high 25 turnovers, leading to 31 points for the Mountaineers.

 
NEXT UP

• Horizon League action kicks off for NKU next week in the Motor City. The Norse travel to Detroit Mercy for a 7:30 tip-off on Thursday, Dec. 29. Cole Murray's 25 points led Northern Kentucky to a 91-83 win over the Titans at Calihan Hall last year.