HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team improved to 6-0 on the year with an 89-83 win over Coastal Carolina on Sunday in the final game of the KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic, claiming the team title.
Drew McDonald was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by
Jalen Tate. The Chanticleers fall to 3-2 overall.
STATS LEADERS
- McDonald scored 31 points and added 12 rebounds for his 37th career double-double.
- Tate tallied 16 points, six rebounds and three assists.
- Tyler Sharpe chipped in 15 points, three assists, two rebounds and four steals.
- Dantez Walton recorded 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.
TURNING POINT
- The Norse knocked down 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute of the contest to seal the 89-83 victory.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
- The first half featured five ties and four lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points in the stanza. The largest lead was five points at 13-8 in favor of NKU with 14:40 to play.
- The Norse led for 16:36 in the half, while Coastal Carolina maintained a lead for just 44 seconds.
- NKU took a 39-36 lead into halftime.
- McDonald nearly had a double-double in the first half alone, scoring 14 points and bringing in nine rebounds. Sharpe added nine points for the Norse.
- Coastal Carolina went 13-of-27 (48.1 percent) from the floor.
- NKU shot 11-of-30 (36.7 percent) on field goals.
- The Norse had an 11-1 advantage in second-chance points.
- NKU only turned the ball over three times.
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
- The second half started as a back-and-forth affair, as the early portion of the stanza featured six lead changes and two ties.
- A 13-0 run by NKU midway through put the Norse ahead 74-60 with 7:23 to play. Chris Vogt highlighted the run with an emphatic dunk, and Sharpe closed it out with a deep three-pointer.
- Coastal Carolina clawed its way back into the game and got within four points at 78-74 with 3:32 to play in the game.
- The Chanticleers would not get any closer than four points down the stretch. NKU went 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the final minute to get the 89-83 victory.
- NKU shot 14-of-25 (56.0 percent) in the half and 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) from behind the arc.
- Coastal Carolina went 13-of-23 (56.5 percent) on field goals and 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) on three-point attempts in the stanza.
GAME NOTES
- NKU made 25-of-55 (45.5 percent) attempts in the game. The Norse also went 29-of-41 (70.7%) from the free throw line.
- Coastal Carolina was 26-of-50 (52.0 percent) on field goals.
- NKU had a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points.
- The Norse took good care of the ball throughout the game, as the team only had six turnovers while dishing out 19 assists.
- The 6-0 start is the best for the program in the Division I era. In the final season of Division II play in 2011-12, the Norse started the season 13-0.
All-Tournament Team
Drew McDonald – Northern Kentucky
Jalen Tate – Northern Kentucky
Warren Williams – Manhattan
Nehemiah Mack – Manhattan
Zac Cutherbertson – Coastal Carolina
DeVon Baker – UNC Asheville
Most Valuable Player –
Drew McDonald
NEXT UP
- NKU travels to UCF on Saturday, Nov. 24. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Orlando, Florida, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
