HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team defeated Cleveland State by a final score of 70-55 at BB&T Arena on Monday night. The Norse move to 12-6 overall and 5-1 in Horizon League play. Cleveland State falls to 4-15 and 1-5 in the League.
 
STATS LEADERS

• Mason Faulkner led all scorers with 16 points. He also added five rebounds.
• Drew McDonald contributed 14 points and eight rebounds on the night.
• Carson Williams just missed out on a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
• Lavone Holland II added eight points, five rebounds and three assists.

 
TURNING POINT

• NKU and Cleveland State were tied 17-17 with 6:27 to play in the second half. The Norse then went on an 11-0 run to take a 28-17 advantage. NKU extended its lead in the second half to put the game out of reach.

 
FIRST-HALF SUMMARY

• With the score tied 17-17 at the 6:27 minute mark of the first half, the Norse proceeded to go on an 11-0 run to take a 28-17 lead.
• Faulkner started the run with back-to-back three-pointers. Holland was fouled on a three-point attempt, and he converted all three of his free throw attempts. McDonald added two free throws to close out the run.
• The Norse took a 37-21 lead into halftime.
• NKU shot 11-of-25 (44.0%) in the first half, including a 6-of-11 (54.5%) performance from the three-point line.
• The Norse held Cleveland State to 9-of-27 (33.3%) shooting in the first half, which included a 0-of-11 showing from behind the arc.
• McDonald led the Norse with 10 points in the half, and Holland and Faulkner each added eight points.

 
SECOND-HALF SUMMARY

• Cleveland State did not get any closer than 13 points in the second half.
• NKU led by as much as 25 points in the half. Jeff Garret's slam dunk allowed the Norse to take a 58-33 lead with 8:33 to play in the game.
• Williams had three dunks within a span of 1:30 (4:50, 3:59, and 3:20).
• The Norse went on to win by a final score of 70-55.
• NKU shot 14-of-31 (45.2%) from the floor and Cleveland shot 12-of-29 (41.4%) on field goals.
• The Norse finished a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line during the half.

 
GAME NOTES

• The Norse have now won eight home games this season (8-1 record at BB&T Arena).
• NKU forced 16 turnovers, thanks in part to 10 steals.
• The Norse had 15 assists on 25 made field goals.
• NKU had a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint.
• The Norse also outscored Cleveland State 25-7 in points off turnovers.
• NKU had 16 fast-break points, compared to none for Cleveland State.
• The Norse finished the game shooting 25-of-56 (44.6%) from the floor, and held Cleveland State to 21-of-56 (37.5%).
• Cleveland State shot just 8-to-25 (32.0%) from behind the three-point line.

 
NEXT UP

• NKU travels to Milwaukee on Thursday, Jan. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.