HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team recovered from a slow start on Friday night to lead at halftime, but could not keep Oakland at bay in a 79-70 setback at BB&T Arena.
 
With the loss, NKU falls to 12-8 on the season and 3-4 in Horizon League play. Oakland improves to 15-5 overall and 5-2 in League play.
 
STAT LEADERS

• Carson Williams had 15 points and six rebounds in the first half en route to his team-leading 19. The freshman pulled down eight rebounds and dished out a pair of assists.
• Drew McDonald posted his ninth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Nine of McDonald's 11 boards came on the defensive end.
• Lavone Holland II followed with 12 points.
• Mason Faulkner had nine total points, all in the first period, as he tied his career-high mark of four assists for the sixth time this season.
• Cole Murray tied Faulkner with nine points on a trio of 3-pointers.

 
TURNING POINT

• At the midway point of the second half, Oakland used a 7-0 run to take its first lead in over 15 minutes of play at 58-56 with 8:25 remaining in the game.
• The Golden Grizzlies held NKU without a field goal for a six minute span as they established a seven-point lead (65-58) with 4:21 on the clock. Holland used a pair of free throws to cut the Oakland lead to four with 3:40 to play, but the Golden Grizzlies pulled away for a double-digit lead.

 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Five minutes into the game, Oakland netted 13-straight points to speed off with a 17-6 advantage. Williams scored each of NKU's first six points.
• NKU struggled from the floor in the early going, connecting on just two of its first eight attempts while Oakland opened on 8-for-10 shooting to build a double-digit lead. The Golden Grizzlies built up a game-high 17 points with 11:50 left in the half.
• Eleven uninterrupted points brought NKU back within six points of Oakland at 27-21 with 9:15 left in the period. Northern Kentucky forced a trio of Oakland turnovers during the two-and-a-half minute run.
• Back-to-back layups from Williams gave the Norse their first lead since the opening minutes with a 36-34 advantage with 3:55 remaining in the period.
• The Norse dominated the second portion of the half, outscoring the Golden Grizzlies, 32-11, across the last 11:40. The Norse held Oakland to 4-for-14 shooting to close the half and forced seven Oakland turnovers with the help of five steals in that span.
• Northern Kentucky led 42-38 at the intermission.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Oakland stayed close as the Norse maintained the lead throughout the first eleven minutes of the second half, continuously rebuilding their game-high six-point cushion.
• A Murray triple pushed the Norse lead to 56-51 with 9:53 to play.
• The Golden Grizzlies then scored seven-straight to initiate the sixth and final lead change of the game to hold a 58-56 advantage with 8:25 remaining.
• Oakland went 9-for-12 from the line across the final 3:22 of the game to help keep its distance. Meanwhile, the Norse struggled from long range, connecting on 2-of-7 triples in the last three-and-a-half minutes.

 
GAME NOTES

• McDonald has now registered a double-double in five-straight games.
• The loss breaks NKU's five-game win streak at home as the Norse suffered just their second home loss of the season to fall to 6-2 at BB&T Arena.
• The Norse forced 15 total turnovers, the most in a Horizon League contest this season.
• NKU held a narrow 13-12 edge in second-chance points despite being out-rebounded 40-35.
   

UP NEXT

• The Norse turn around to host Detroit Mercy on Sunday. Tip-off from BB&T Arena is set for 1 p.m. ET and will air on Spectrum Sports and ESPN3.