HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team took control early against Green Bay and never trailed past the opening minutes, holding on for a 69-67 victory at BB&T Arena.

The Norse were able to close out the victory after the Phoenix came within two points of NKU with 5:16 to play and stayed within six points of the Norse throughout the remainder of the game.

With the win, NKU improves to 16-9 overall and 7-5 in the Horizon League. Green Bay dips to 15-10 as it suffered just its fourth loss of League play to fall to 9-4.

STAT LEADERS

• Cole Murray led four Norse in double-figures, posting 17 total points with the help of a 5-for-10 showing from three. The senior, who posted 12 of his 17 points in the first half alone, also brought down four rebounds.
• Jeff Garret came within two points of his career-high with 10 in his 14 minutes of action.
• Brennan Gillis and Drew McDonald matched Garret with 10 points apiece, which was a career-high tying mark for Gillis. Gillis also added four rebounds and a pair of assists.
• Lavone Holland II tied his career-high in steals with five and also added three assists and eight points on a 2-for-3 performance from behind the arc.

TURNING POINT

• Green Bay came within two points of NKU with 5:16 remaining, cutting a once-double-digit Norse lead down to 63-61.
• A Holland triple and Gillis layup helped the Norse pull away, building a 69-63 edge with 2:35 on the clock.
• The Phoenix scored the game's final four points, two of which came from the free-throw line. However, NKU forced a pair of key Green Bay turnovers in the final 34-seconds to help seal the victory.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Northern Kentucky took control early as six different Norse players contributed to a 19-4 NKU run that began with NKU's first bucket of the game - a layup from Williams at the 17:53 mark.
• NKU went 8-for-13 from the field during the run as three of its first four baskets of the contest were 3-pointers. The Norse held the Phoenix to 2-for-10 shooting and forced four Green Bay turnovers during an eight-and-a-half minute stretch.
• NKU built up a double-digit lead by the midway point of the half, leading 19-9 with 9:47 left in the period.
• Green Bay closed the gap, trailing NKU by six at 23-17 with 6:03 left.
• The Norse then took off on another commanding run, this time, out-scoring the Phoenix, 13-2, in just over two minutes. The run included six points from Murray and five from McDonald. NKU reclaimed a double-digit lead, 36-19, at the 3:54 mark.
• Six uninterrupted points from Green Bay to end the half cut the NKU advantage to 41-29 at halftime.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Green Bay's 6-0 run to end the first half was extended into a 10-0 run as the Phoenix came back within eight points of NKU two minutes into the second period.
• The Norse struggled from the field in the early portion of the second half, connecting on just two of its first nine attempts to allow Green Bay to come back within striking distance.
• The Phoenix used an 11-4 run to chip away at the deficit and cut Northern Kentucky's advantage to 52-48 with 11:50 to play.
• Green Bay stayed within single digits throughout the remainder of the contest as they came within two points of the Norse with five minutes remaining.

GAME NOTES

• The Norse improve to 10-2 when at least four Norse score in double-figures.
• With his five 3-pointers on Thursday, Murray is one triple shy of tying for fifth all-time at NKU in career triples made. He now has 237. Further, he is one point shy of breaking into the top-40 all-time in career scoring. Murray entered the game ranked No. 25 in the nation with 74 made threes this year.
• Murray has totaled 31 points in the last two games against Wright State and Green Bay.
• The Norse earned their first-ever program victory over Green Bay in the teams' four meetings.
• NKU improves to 11-2 when holding opponents to 70 or fewer points.

UP NEXT

• Northern Kentucky turns around to take on Milwaukee at home at 7 p.m. on Saturday that will feature homecoming for Northern Kentucky.