HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team erased a 13-point second-half deficit on Saturday, out-scoring Milwaukee 28-9 across the final eight minutes of the game to defeat the Panthers, 69-63, in front of a homecoming crowd of 4,963.

The Norse improve to 17-9 overall and 8-5 in the Horizon League. Milwaukee dips to 8-19 overall and 4-10 in League play.

STAT LEADERS

• Lavone Holland II exploded for 19 second-half points en route to his team-high 21. He led three players in double-figures and also added a pair of rebounds, four steals and four assists with just one turnover. The junior missed a single shot attempt in the second half and went 8-for-11 from the field overall.
• Drew McDonald followed Holland with 13 points and team-high six rebounds.
• Dantez Walton came within one of his career-high, chipping in 11 total points on a 3-for-5 showing from three. Walton also posted four rebounds.

TURNING POINT

• The Norse rode a pivotal 25-4 run in the second half bookended by a Walton triple at the 8:19 mark and a pair of McDonald free throws with 31 seconds remaining. Holland contributed 14 points to the run as NKU shot 9-of-9, including 3-of-3 from three, in just under eight minutes.

• Amidst the run, NKU took its first lead of the game, 60-58, with a Holland layup at the 3:50 mark and led the rest of the way.
• The run also included 18-straight points from the Norse as they held the Panthers scoreless for 5:29, forcing five turnovers and allowing them to take just two attempts from the field.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• The Panthers used the perimeter to take control early, as 15 of their first 21 points came from behind the arc.
• The Norse struggled to stop the hot-shooting Panthers in the first half as an 11-3 run put UWM ahead 24-12 with 11:34 left in the first.
• Faulkner converted on a three-point play followed by a Murray triple to push the Norse back within single digits. NKU induced a trio of Milwaukee turnovers and rode an 11-4 run to pull within six.
• The Panthers held a 35-27 advantage at halftime.
• Milwaukee ended the half shooting 48.0 percent (12-for-25), which included a 7-for-16 showing from three (43.8 percent). NKU managed 37.9 percent (11-for-29) from the field.
   

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• NKU opened the second half on a 6-0 run. A Williams layup brought the Norse within two at 35-33 with 18:26 on the clock.
• The Panthers briefly reclaimed a double-digit lead that was nearly erased by eight uninterrupted points from NKU- including five-straight from Holland- over a two-minute span. Holland's dunk brought Milwaukee's lead to 43-40 with 13:20 to play.
• Milwaukee would again build up its 10-point advantage, leading 54-41 with 8:30 remaining before NKU stole the Panthers' momentum and took control with its 25-4 run.
• NKU led by as many as 10 points, 68-58, with 31 seconds left.

GAME NOTES

• The Norse forced 17 Milwaukee turnovers, 10 of which came in the second-half. They converted the giveaways into 32 points off turnovers while the Panthers posted seven.
• The comeback win marked the first time the Norse have recovered from a double-digit deficit in the second half since they last hosted the Panthers on Feb. 6 of last season, which also served as NKU's Homecoming game. The Norse won the contest, 75-71, after erasing an 11-point deficit.
• NKU improved 13-3 when a Norse scores 20 or more points in the game.
• The Norse won the battle of the boards, 31-26, and had nine players with at least two rebounds.
• Holland posted his sixth 20-point performance of the season.

UP NEXT

• Northern Kentucky opens its final road swing of the regular season on Thursday, Feb. 16 when it travels to Cleveland State for a 7:45 p.m. tipoff. The Norse then take on Youngstown State on Saturday at 7 p.m. to wrap up the road portion of the schedule.