CLEVELAND - The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team came within two points of Cleveland State with 20 seconds to play but fell to the Vikings, 63-58, at the Wolstein Center on Thursday.
 
Drew McDonald posted his fifth double-double of the season, pouring in a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds. The freshman went 7-of-11 from the field and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe on Thursday and had nine points and eight boards after the first period.
 
Jalen Billups followed McDonald with 17 points and a perfect 7-for-7 showing from the line while Tyler White scored 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
 
Cleveland State was led by Rob Edwards with 19 points after a 3-of-6 showing from long range and a 6-of-6 performance from the line.
 
The Norse led 9-4 in the early going and maintained the lead until the 11:14 mark of the first half. A CSU run handed the Vikings a 20-14 advantage with seven minutes to play.
 
NKU stayed within single digits of the Vikings, but struggled from the field throughout the remainder of the opening period. Nine of NKU's 24 points came from the free throw line in the first half as Cleveland State held a 31-24 lead at the intermission.
 
A trio of triples and a McDonald layup put the Norse on an 11-0 run to regain a 35-33 lead upon returning to the court. NKU held the Vikings without a field goal until the 14:49 mark when a jumper put CSU back within one point of the Norse.
 
A McDonald jumper and Holland trey put NKU back on top at 48-46 with 10 minutes to play. After Cleveland State reclaimed its lead, Billups netted seven-straight NKU points and cut the Vikings' advantage to 56-55 with under five minutes to play.
 
The teams closed out the contest battling from the free throw line as each team netted a single field goal across the final 4:17.
A McDonald jumper put NKU up by one with 2:35 to play, but a pair of CSU free throws gave the Vikings a lead that would stick throughout the remainder of the contest.
 
With one game left in the regular season, NKU sits at 9-19 overall and 5-12 in Horizon League play, while Cleveland State improves to 9-21 and 4-13 in the League.
 
The Norse conclude the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Youngstown State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
 
NORSE NOTES:

• NKU won the rebounding battle 36-32 overall including 25-20 on the defensive glass.
• The Norse posted 14 assists on 19 field goals with Lavone Holland II and Todd Johnson dishing out five assists apiece.
• McDonald has two double-doubles in the last three games after notching 12 points and 11 rebounds against Detroit. The freshman posted six points and three rebounds in the first meeting with CSU on Jan. 16.