HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – With four games left on the regular-season docket, the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team will play its final road-game of the slate at Youngstown State Saturday, Feb. 18. The Norse are 9-7 in road plus neutral site contests and 8-6 in true road games this year.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (18-9 Overall, 9-5 Horizon League)
Youngstown State University Penguins (10-18 Overall, 4-11 Horizon League)
Saturday, Feb. 18 - 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Beeghly Center (6,300) in Youngstown, Ohio
TV: ESPN3
Radio: FOXSports1360 (1360 AM) with Jim Kelch (play-by-play) and Steve Moeller (analysis)
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU held on for a 62-60 win at Cleveland State on Thursday night, pulling the Norse into a share of third-place in the Horizon League standings.
• Against CSU, NKU assisted on 16 of 20 made shots, while committing just 10 turnovers for the third game in a row.
• The Norse have won four in a row and six of their last seven games, which includes a 3-1 mark on the road.
• NKU sits at 18-9 on the season, and has established a new Division I-era record for wins, topping the 13 recorded in the 2014-15 season as a member of the Atlantic Sun.
• NKU's 18 wins are nine more than it had last year, a turnaround that is tied for the second best in the nation based on wins alone. According to the NCAA, which also considers losses, NKU is fourth at plus-10.5.
• The Norse close the season with a stretch of five games in 11 days. They started the stretch 1-0 with a win at Cleveland State.
• NKU heads to Youngstown State on Saturday for the second meeting of the year. The Norse defeated the Penguins in the opening contest, 83-70.
• The 70-point plateau is key for NKU this year. Northern Kentucky is 15-3 when scoring at least 70 points and 13-2 when holding opponents to 70 or fewer points.
• NKU has eight players who set foot on a collegiate basketball court for the first time this year. According to KenPom.com, the average experience for the Norse this year is 1.26 years, which is 302nd.
• After a four-year reclassification process, NKU is eligible to compete for a berth in the NCAA tourney after receiving active status from the NCAA in August.
• NKU was picked to finish 7th in the Horizon League in the preseason poll. With four games left it is tied third at 9-5 with Green Bay and Wright State. The Norse have the inside track to the three-seed in the tourney based on tie-breaker procedures.
• F Drew McDonald posted his 10th double-double of the year with 13 points and 13 boards at Cleveland State. He leads NKU in scoring (15.9 ppg) and rebounds (7.6 rpg).
• F Carson Williams, a two-time Horizon League Freshman of the Week honoree, tallied a career-best 22 points on 10-14 shooting versus CSU. He is averaging 10.3 ppg and 5.9 rpg.
• G Lavone Holland II is second on the team in scoring at 13.6 ppg, but boasts a team-best 103 assists and 34 steals.
• F Cole Murray is third on the team in scoring at 10.3 ppg. He ranks No. 24 nationally with 83 made threes this year and No. 38 in 3-point shooting percent, converting 41.1 percent. The senior has made a triple in 26-of-27 games.
•  G Dantez Walton continues to be a huge lift for the Norse off the bench. He scored five points and pulled down three boards versus CSU.
• G Mason Faulkner earned his first-career start at CSU. He posted six points, five rebounds and five assists in the game and is averaging 7.4 ppg on the year. Faulkner dropped 24 points on the Penguins earlier this year.
 
Scouting Youngstown State
Despite entering the game at 10-18 overall and 4-11 in Horizon League play, Youngstown State is a dangerous team. Cameron Morse is 4th in the nation in scoring at 23.5 ppg, an average that increases to 24.5 ppg in League play. Two of the four Penguin wins in the conference have come against Wright State and Green Bay, the two teams tied with NKU for third-place in the standings. Francisco Santiago averages 12 points and 4.7 assists per game.
 
All-Time Series
After winning this season's first meeting, 83-70, NKU is 4-8 all-time against Youngstown State. The teams split the meetings last year, with each team winning on its home court. Faulkner scored 24 points in the first meeting of the year, but it was Jordan Garnett's defense on Cameron Morse that stole the show. Garnett forced the nation's 4th leading scorer at the time into 4-for-14 shooting en route to 13 points. In three meetings with the Penguins, McDonald is averaging 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game thanks to a 15 point, 15 rebound effort earlier this year.
 
Last Time Out
Northern Kentucky led for nearly 34 minutes of the game, but needed a clutch performance by McDonald in the waning moments to seal its 18th win of the year with a 62-60 decision over CSU. Williams kept the Norse out front most of the game, tallying a game-high 22 points thanks to 10-of-14 shooting from the floor. He added six rebounds. However, McDonald scored NKU's final 11 points in the last seven minutes of the game, including a three-pointer and pair of free-throws to restore Norse leads both times the Vikings pulled ahead in the final two minutes. McDonald finished with 13 points, thanks to 10-of-13 shooting at the line, and 13 rebounds, giving the sophomore his 10th double-double of the year. The Norse dished out 16 assists on 20 made baskets, led by five each from McDonald and Faulkner.