HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – With its 11-5 overall record and 5-1 mark in home games at BB&T Arena, the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team plays host to Horizon League foe Cleveland State in a 1 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Jan. 7.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (11-5 Overall, 2-1 Horizon League)
Cleveland State University Vikings (5-10 Overall, 1-2 Horizon League)
Saturday, Jan. 7 – 1:00 p.m. (ET)
BB&T Arena (9,400) in Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: ESPN3 with Brady Laber (play-by-play) and Brad Redford (analysis)
Radio: FOXSports1360 (1360 AM) with Jim Kelch (play-by-play) and Steve Moeller (analysis)
 
Fast Break Points
• An explosive effort from G Mason Faulkner helped Northern Kentucky to its 11th win of the season in an 83-70 victory against Youngstown State.
• NKU held YSU to just 20 points in the first half and just 31 percent shooting. The 20 points are the least allowed by NKU in a half. It's also the sixth time the team has limited a foe to 25 points or less in a stanza.
• The 70-point plateau is key for NKU this year. Northern Kentucky is 11-1 when scoring at least 70 points and 9-0 when holding opponents to 70 or fewer points.
• The Norse have established themselves as one of the top rebounding teams in the country, winning the rebounding battle in 14 of 16 games. They have only lost the rebound battle once and are averaging 40.5 rpg (25th in the nation).
• The Norse have combined to post 15 efforts with 20 points or more. The team is 9-2 in games where someone reaches at least 20 points in the scoring column.
• Northern Kentucky surged into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time ever on Dec. 19 at No. 24. The team was ranked for two-straight weeks and is still receiving votes.
• For the third-straight game, Faulkner established a new career-high. It started with nine points at Detroit Mercy and continued with 10 at Oakland. The freshman then dropped an eye-popping 24 points against Youngstown State on Thursday.
• F Drew McDonald recorded his sixth double-double of the season and 11th of his career with 15 points and career-high 15 boards against Youngstown State.
• McDonald is averaging team-highs in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg).
 G Lavone Holland II is second in scoring at 15.3 points. He has now reached double-figures in 12 of the last 13 games.
• F Carson Williams, a two-time Horizon League Freshman of the Week honoree, is averaging 14.3 ppg over the last five games.
• Williams is third for NKU in scoring (11.1) and tied-second with F Jeff Garrett in rebounding (5.8).
• F Jordan Garrett held YSU's Cameron Morse to just 13 points. Morse entered averaging 23.1 ppg, the fourth-best mark in the nation.