GREEN BAY, Wis. – Reigning Horizon League Player of the Week Drew McDonald posted his fourth-straight double-double on Tuesday to fuel a strong first half for the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team, but Green Bay out-scored  NKU 48-29 in the second period to defeat the Norse, 80-71, at the Resch Center.
 
With the loss, Northern Kentucky dips to 12-6 overall and 3-2 in Horizon League play. The Phoenix maintain their perfect League record at 4-0 while improving to 10-6 overall.
 
STAT LEADERS

• McDonald's fourth double-double in as many games came after the sophomore netted a game-high 23 points and brought down 12 rebounds, including 11 on the defensive glass. Fourteen of his total points and nine of his total rebounds came in the first half alone.
• McDonald went 4-for-6 from three and also dished out three assists.
• Cole Murray followed McDonald with 11 points and five rebounds while Carson Williams rounded out NKU's double-figure scorers with 10 points, including nine in the first half. Williams also added seven rebounds and three assists.
• Jamar Hurdle (15 points, four rebounds) led five Phoenix players in double figures.

 
TURNING POINT

• After a strong first half from the Norse handed NKU a 42-32 lead at halftime, Green Bay would use a 13-0 run starting at the 16:15 mark of the second half to take control of the game. The run gave the Phoenix a 53-52 lead with 13 minutes to play.

• McDonald put a stop to the run with a triple that handed NKU its lead back, but the Norse would not have an answer for the 8-0 Green Bay run that put the Phoenix ahead for good, 65-57, with 8:26 to play.

 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• An 8-0 Phoenix run in the opening minutes gave Green Bay enough of an advantage to maintain a slight edge as the teams traded buckets throughout the first portion of the opening half. Green Bay led 18-19 with 11:41 left in the half.

• Northern Kentucky opened the contest 4-for-6 from three to stay within striking distance. The Phoenix lead would only grow to four points throughout the half as the teams waged a back-and-forth battle.

• NKU then took control with an 11-0 run and held the Phoenix scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting for over four and a half minutes. The run started with a McDonald layup at the 5:09 mark and was capped off by a Jordan Garnett layup that gave NKU a 40-28 lead with 2:05 remaining in the half.

• The Norse dominated the boards in the first half, 29-13, and took a 42-32 lead into the locker room at intermission.

 
SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• A pair of triples from McDonald and Murray helped kick off the second half as NKU claimed a game-high 49-34 lead in the opening minutes.

• However, NKU saw its lead dwindle in the second half as it struggled with 19 total turnovers in the game, which Green Bay turned into 34 total points.

• The Norse were held scoreless for four minutes while Green Bay went on its 13-0 run. Six of the Phoenix's points in the run came from Charles Cooper as he helped the Phoenix take a 53-52 lead with 13 minutes left.

• After Green Bay then scored eight-straight, Lavone Holland II singlehandedly cut the Green Bay advantage to four points, but the Phoenix would restore their double-digit advantage.

• The Norse put together a late comeback attempt, holding Green Bay without a field goal for over four minutes and cutting the deficit to five points, 76-71, with 2:06 on the clock, but the Phoenix sealed the victory from the free-throw line.
   

GAME NOTES

• McDonald's four-straight double-doubles have given him 88 points and 47 rebounds across the last four contests. The sophomore posted his eighth game this season with 20 points or more.

• NKU won the battle of the boards, 43-29, and has out-rebounded its opponent in 16 of its 18 games this season. The Norse entered the game averaging 40.14 rebounds per game, good for 32nd in the nation.

• With three triples on the night, Murray is two 3-pointers away from moving into seventh all-time in career 3-point field goals made. He has 213 career treys.

 
UP NEXT

• NKU turns around to take on Milwaukee on Thursday. Tip-off against the Panthers is set for 8 p.m. ET.