MOREHEAD, Ky. – Drew McDonald recorded a triple-double, the first by a Norse since 2001, and Tyler Sharpe added a career-high 28 points to help the Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team roll past Morehead State 93-71 on Tuesday evening. NKU improves to 7-1 on the year, while Morehead State falls to 2-5.
 
STATS LEADERS

• McDonald finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. His 11 assists were a career-high.
• Sharpe had 28 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He went 5-of-8 on three-pointers and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
• Zaynah Robinson added 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. It was the most points for Robinson in an NKU uniform. He shot 9-of-12 from the floor and 2-of-2 on three-point attempts.
• Dantez Walton scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. He also tallied five rebounds and two assists.

 
TURNING POINT

• NKU outscored Morehead State 21-6 over the first 7:47 of the second half to take a 67-44 lead and put the game out of reach.

 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Morehead State went ahead 21-16, but the Norse used an 11-0 run to take a 27-21 lead with 7:43 remaining.
• NKU took a 46-38 lead into halftime. Walton hit a three-pointer as time expired in the half.
• The Norse shot well in the first half, going 18-of-31 (58.1 percent) from the floor and 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) on three-point attempts.
• Morehead State went 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) on field goals and 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) on attempts from behind the arc.
• Walton led NKU with 12 points. McDonald added 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
• The Norse had a 22-6 advantage in points in the paint.
• NKU also outrebounded Morehead State 21-14.

 
SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• NKU went on a 7-0 run to begin the half to extend the lead to 53-38.
• Later in the half, the Norse used a 9-0 run to go ahead 67-44. Robinson started the spurt with a three-pointer, and Sharpe knocked down back-to-back triples.
• NKU had a stretch in the half where it made 10-consecutive field goals. It's the first time NKU has made 10 or more straight baskets since converting 14-straight against Wright State on March 5, 2017.
• The Norse went on to win the game by final score of 93-71.
• NKU shot a blistering 19-of-28 (67.9 percent) from the floor, which included a 6-of-8 (75 percent) mark from behind the three-point line.
• The Norse held Morehead State to 9-of-30 (30 percent) shooting on field goals and 3-of-14 on three-pointers.

 
GAME NOTES

• It's been 6,506 days since the last NKU player posted a triple-double. Craig Conley accomplished the feat on Feb. 3, 2001 by recording 24 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
• Sharpe's previous career-high in points was 19. He scored 19 points last season against Milwaukee on Jan. 18, 2018, and Green Bay on Feb. 10, 2018.
• This was the first time NKU had two players score more than 20 points since Dec. 19, 2017, against UMBC, Northern Kentucky's next opponent.
• NKU shot 37-of-59 (62.7 percent) on field goals and 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) on three-pointers. The Norse also went 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) from the free throw line.
• Morehead State shot 21-of-58 (36.2 percent) from the floor and 9-of-27 (33.3 percent) on attempts from behind the arc.
• The Norse had a 42-18 advantage in points in the paint. NKU outrebounded Morehead State 40-27.

 
NEXT UP

• NKU hosts UMBC on Friday, Nov. 30. UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to win a game in the NCAA Tournament, defeating No. 1 seed Virginia last season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at BB&T Arena.