DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team went on the road on Friday evening and picked up an 88-85 victory over Northern Illinois in double overtime. The Norse improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Huskies fall to 1-1.
 
 
STATS LEADERS

• Drew McDonald notched a double-double by leading all players with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Last season, McDonald had 18 double-doubles.
• Tyler Sharpe added 16 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist.
• Dantez Walton just missed out on a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds.
• Zaynah Robinson chipped in 13 points, all of which came in the overtime periods.
• Jalen Tate added seven points and seven assists.

 
TURNING POINT

• Robinson knocked down two free throws with five seconds left in the second overtime period to give the Norse an 88-85 lead. Northern Illinois' half-court attempt at the end of the period was no good, which allowed NKU to get the victory.

 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse had an 8-6 lead at the first media timeout.
• The game stayed close, as neither team had more than a four-point lead until late in the half.
• Northern Illinois went on a 9-0 run over the final 2:47 of the stanza to take a 35-27 lead into halftime.
• The Huskies shot 13-of-30 (43.3%) on field goals during the half. NKU went 10-of-25 (40.0%) from the floor during the period.
• Sharpe led NKU in scoring during the half with eight points. McDonald added seven points and four rebounds, while Walton tallied five points and six rebounds.
• Northern Illinois had a 16-3 advantage in bench points in the half.

 
SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• The Huskies extended their lead to 39-28 with 17:12 to play in the half. However, the Norse went on a 14-0 run to take a 42-39 lead with 13:27 remaining in the stanza. McDonald had nine points during the run.
• Trailing 58-55 with 4:00 minutes to play, NKU went on a 7-0 run to go ahead 62-58 with 2:10 remaining.
• Northern Illinois got within two points at 62-60, but Sharpe hit a deep three-pointer with 1:31 to play to extend NKU's lead to five points.
• The Huskies tied the game at 65-65 on a three-pointer by Dante Thorpe with 14 seconds left in the second half to send the game into overtime.

 
OVERTIME SUMMARY

• Northern Illinois started overtime with a 6-0 run to take a 71-65 lead.
• NKU trailed 73-67, but Robinson hit a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to tie the game at 73-73 with 43 seconds to play.
• Levi Bradley put the Huskies ahead 75-73 with 24 seconds to play in the first overtime, but McDonald responded with a layup to tie the game at 75-75 with 15 seconds left in the stanza to send the game to a second overtime.
• The Norse went on a 6-0 run to go ahead 81-75 with 2:52 to play in the second overtime period. Robinson scored the first three points in the run, and Walton followed with a three-pointer.
• Walton added another three-pointer with 1:37 left in the second overtime to put NKU ahead 84-77.
• With NKU leading 86-85, Robinson knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 88-85. Northern Illinois' half-court attempt at the end of the period was no good, allowing the Norse to get the victory.

 
GAME NOTES

• NKU went 30-of-61 (49.2%) from the floor in the game. The Norse also went 14-of-33 (42.4%) from beyond the arc.
• Northern Illinois shot 31-of-76 (40.8%) on field goals. NKU held the Huskies to just 6-of-23 (26.1%) shooting on three-point attempts.

 
NEXT UP

• The Norse return to BB&T Arena to face Wabash on Sunday, Nov. 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.