CHICAGO – A pivotal first-half run from the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team helped the Norse cruise to a 79-62 victory over UIC on Friday night at UIC Pavilion to give NKU a Division-I era record 14 single-season wins with nine regular-season games remaining.
 
With the victory, the Norse sit at 14-8 on the year and 5-4 in the Horizon League. The Flames dipped to 11-10 overall and 4-4 in the Horizon League.
 
STAT LEADERS

• Mason Faulkner led five Norse in double-figures with 19 total points to go with six rebounds including five on the defensive end. The freshman went 7-for-12 from the field and 5-for-7 from the charity stripe.
• Lavone Holland II followed with 16 total points and matched Faulkner with six rebounds.
• Cole Murray chipped in 12 points on four triples, while Drew McDonald and Dantez Walton posted 10 points apiece.
• Walton's 10 points came in his first 10 minutes of play in the first period. He came within one of his career-high in both points and rebounds after pulling down five boards.
• Jordan Garnett pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and had a pair of assists with three points.
   

TURNING POINT

• After UIC led for the first 15 minutes of the game, NKU used the perimeter to chip away at the deficit, sinking six triples in a four-minute span.
• A triple from McDonald at the 5:52 mark gave the Norse their first lead of the game, which grew to a 39-27 advantage with 2:21 left in the first half. NKU rode a 12-2 run that featured six points from Walton to take control of the game.
• The Norse defense held UIC to 33.3 percent shooting (10-for-30) from the field in the second-half to keep the Flames at a distance and lead by as many as 23.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• UIC opened hot from the floor and went on a 6-for-6 field goal streak to lead 14-4 after the first five minutes of play.
• The Norse countered with a 13-2 run over a six-minute span span in which they forced five turnovers and held UIC to 1-for-8 shooting.
• The run included six-straight points from Faulkner as Holland capped it off with a triple that tied the game at 18-18 with 7:55 left in the half.
• NKU then went on to sink six triples in four minutes, which helped build its 39-27 lead at the 2:21 mark. Murray and Walton each had a pair of triples in the stretch.
• UIC ended the half on 1-for-10 shooting from the field to help the Norse maintain the advantage throughout the end of the period.
• NKU posted six steals and forced 13 UIC turnovers in the first half as the Norse led 39-30 at the intermission.
   

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• NKU carried its momentum into the second half, building a 14-point lead just 1:10 into the half at 44-30.
• At the 14:54 mark, UIC came back within single digits after scoring five-straight.
• NKU would again fight off the Flames with Faulkner contributing four points to a 7-0 run that put NKU ahead by 17 at 55-38, with 12:08 to play.
• NKU's lead grew to as many as 23 as it led by at least 14 throughout the remainder of the game.

 
GAME NOTES

• The Norse forced a season-high 23 turnovers with the help of a season-high 11 steals distributed among six different players. Their 23 turnovers were converted into 26 points while UIC managed 15 points off turnovers.
• Northern Kentucky also edged UIC in second-chance points, 20-7, despite just narrowly leading in offensive rebounds, 14-12. NKU won the rebounding battle overall, 45-42.
• The Norse improved to 10-1 on the season when holding opponents to 70 points or less.
• Faulkner has 57 points and 15 rebounds in the last three games.
• NKU has had at least one freshman post double-figures in each of the last 12 games and 16 of NKU's 22 total games this season.
• NKU improved to 2-1 all-time against UIC after taking on the Flames for the first time this season.
   

UP NEXT

• The Norse turn around to take on Horizon League foe Valparaiso on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET. The Crusaders sit atop the League standings at 7-1 and are 17-4 overall.