HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – In a matchup of two teams at the top of the Horizon League standings, Wright State prevailed with an 84-81 win over Northern Kentucky on Thursday evening. With the win, the Raiders move to 13-5 overall and 5-0 in the League. NKU falls to 11-6 on the season and 4-1 in the Horizon League.
 
STATS LEADERS

• Four NKU players were in double figures, led by Lavone Holland II with 22 points. He also added five rebounds and five assists.
• Drew McDonald had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
• Carson Williams tallied 13 points and Tyler Sharpe contributed 10 points.
• Wright State also had four players score in double digits, and the Raiders' Grant Benzinger led all scorers with 31 points.

 
TURNING POINT

• Beginning at the 8:52 minute mark in the second half, Wright State outscored NKU 16-5 over the next 4:47 of the period to take a 73-67 lead with 4:05 to play. The Norse got to within one possession with both 1:41 and 1:08 remaining, but couldn't overcome the deficit.

 
 
FIRST-HALF SUMMARY

• With NKU leading 8-5, Wright State went on a 12-0 run early in the first half to take a 17-8 lead with 15:46 to play in the first half.
• The Norse battled back to tie the game at 32-32 with 4:32 to play in the first half. NKU went on a 10-0 run over a span of 1:48 in the half.
• The Raiders took a 40-38 lead into the break.
• NKU shot 12-of-29 (41.4%) from the floor in the half.
• Wright State went 14-of-27 (51.9%) on field goals during the period.
• McDonald had 11 points in the period, and Holland and Jalen Tate each added nine points for the Norse.
• NKU had a 10-2 advantage on points off of turnovers. The Norse forced seven turnovers in the half, thanks in part to five steals. Tyler Sharpe had two steals in the half.
• The Raiders' Benzinger led all scorers in the half with 16 points.

 
SECOND-HALF SUMMARY

• The second half featured eight ties and six lead changes.
• NKU went on an 8-0 run to take a 62-57 lead with 9:11 left in the game.
• The Raiders proceeded to go on a 9-0 run to take a 66-62 lead with 6:21 to play.
• The Norse got within one point at 68-67 with 4:49 to play, but Wright State scored five-straight points to take a 73-67 lead.
• NKU made it a one possession game at 1:41 and 1:08, but couldn't get any closer down the stretch.
• The Norse shot 16-of-34 (47.1%) from the field in the period.
• Wright State went 15-of-25 (60.0%) on field goals in the half.

 
GAME NOTES

• The Norse scored 26 points on turnovers compared to Wright State's six points.
• NKU forced 17 turnovers, thanks in part to 10 steals.
• Drew McDonald recorded his seventh double-double of the season and fifth in the last seven games.
• NKU went 28-of-63 (44.4%) from the field for the game, and the team also had a 17-of-20 (85.0%) showing at the free throw line.
• Wright State went 29-of-52 (55.8%) on the night, including a 5-of-11 (45.5%) performance from behind the arc.
• The attendance at BB&T Arena was 4,987, which was the largest for an NKU home game this season.

 
NEXT UP

• NKU hosts Cleveland State on Monday, Jan. 15. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at BB&T Arena.