HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – A monstrous first half on both ends of the floor helped the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team roll past UIC on Saturday evening by a final score of 86-51. The Norse improve to 9-5 overall and 2-0 in the Horizon League. UIC falls to 5-10 and 0-2 in League play.
 
 
STATS LEADERS

• Drew McDonald had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead all players. This marked his fourth-straight game with a double-double.
• Mason Faulkner added 15 points, and Lavone Holland II had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
• UIC's Marcus Ottey led the Flames with 15 points.

 
TURNING POINT

• NKU outscored UIC 35-8 over the first 14:01 of the contest to put the game out of reach.
• The Norse put together two runs of 10 points, as well nine- and eight-point spurts during the half.

 
FIRST-HALF SUMMARY

• The score was tied 2-2 at the 17:45 mark, and NKU outscored UIC 41-8 over the next 13:26 to take a 43-10 with 4:19 remaining in the half. The Norse went into the locker room at halftime with a 49-16 advantage.
• Northern Kentucky had 15 assists on 17 made field goals in the first half.
• NKU shot 17-of-36 (47.2%) from the floor and 8-of-15 (53.3%) from behind the arc. The Norse also went 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
• McDonald and Holland each had 12 points in the first half, and Faulkner contributed 10 points.
• The Norse also had 15 second-chance points, compared to none for UIC.
• NKU held UIC to 7-of-27 (25.9%) from the floor and 0-of-7 from the three-point line.
• The Norse had a 28-14 rebounding advantage over UIC in the first half.

 
SECOND-HALF SUMMARY

• NKU went on a 9-0 run toward the end of the second half and led by as much as 41 with 5:06 remaining in the contest. The Norse coasted to an 86-51 victory.
• NKU went 10-of-27 (37.0%) from the floor and 2-of-6 (33.3%) from the three-point line in the half.
• The Norse also shot 15-of-21 (71.4%) at the charity stripe.
• UIC was 13-of-29 (44.8%) on field goals in the half, but just 2-of-8 (25.0%) from behind the arc.
• Twelve different players saw action for the Norse in the half.

 
GAME NOTES

• Drew McDonald had a double-double for the fourth-consecutive game. McDonald was also the last Norse player to achieve the feat. He did so in a four-game stretch from Dec. 31, 2016 – Jan. 10, 2017, last season.
• NKU shot 27-of-63 (42.9%) on field goals and 10-of-21 (47.6%) from the three-point line. The Norse also went 22-of-28 (78.6%) from the charity stripe.
• As one of the top three-point defensive teams in the country, the Norse held UIC to just 2-of-15 (13.3%) shooting from beyond the arc in the game.  
• The Norse finished the game with 22 assists, which is the fifth game this season that NKU has had more than 20 assists.
• Northern Kentucky forced 18 turnovers in the game, thanks in part to 10 steals in the contest.
• The Norse outrebounded UIC 46-34 in the game.
• NKU's bench outscored UIC's bench by a 35-19 margin.
• Ten different players scored for the Norse in the game.
• The Norse never trailed in the contest.

 
 
NEXT UP

• NKU will head to Oakland on Friday, Jan. 5, for a nationally-televised game. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.