HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team defeated Wright State on Friday evening by a final score of 68-64 in front of 5,848 Norse faithful at BB&T Arena. With the win, NKU moves to 14-4 on the year and 4-1 in the Horizon League. Wright State drops to 8-10 overall and 2-3 in league play.
STATS LEADERS
- Drew McDonald notched his ninth double-double of the year with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
- Jalen Tate added 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He went 8-of-10 from the floor.
- Tyler Sharpe was also in double figures with 14 points. He chipped in two rebounds, three assists and a steal near the end of the game.
TURNING POINT
- With NKU leading 64-62, Sharpe grabbed a loose ball on the next Wright State offensive possession for a steal and called timeout. Out of the timeout, McDonald knocked down a three-pointer to put the Norse ahead 67-62 with 40 seconds remaining. Wright State scored with 11 seconds left to make the score 67-64, but Sharpe made a free throw with 2.4 seconds remaining to seal the 68-64 win.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
- The first half was tightly-contested, as it featured seven ties and six lead changes.
- Neither team led by more than four points in the half.
- Wright State had a 30-27 advantage heading into halftime.
- NKU shot 8-of-28 (28.6 percent) in the half. The Norse had a good showing at the free throw line, converting 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) attempts.
- The Raiders went 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) from the floor, but just 1-of-6 (16.7 percent) on three-pointers.
- NKU had an 8-0 advantage in fast break points.
- Sharpe paced the Norse with 11 points in the half, and McDonald added seven points.
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
- After trailing 39-33 early in the half, the Norse used an 11-0 run to take a 44-39 lead.
- Wright State cut the lead to two points at 45-43, but NKU went on a 6-0 run to go ahead 51-43 with 9:26 to play. Paul Djoko capped the run by getting out in transition for a layup.
- Wright State tied the game at 62-62 with 1:40 to play.
- After McDonald's layup put the Norse ahead 64-62, Sharpe grabbed a loose ball on the defensive end of the floor and called a timeout.
- The Norse had possession of the ball, and McDonald knocked down a three-pointer to extend the NKU lead to five points.
- Wright State scored with 11 seconds remaining to make the score 67-64, but Sharpe's free throw in the final seconds sealed the victory for the Norse.
- NKU shot a blistering 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from the floor in the second half, including 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) on three-pointers.
- The Norse held Wright State to 12-of-31 (38.7 percent) shooting, including just 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) on three-pointers.
GAME NOTES
- The Norse improve to 11-0 at BB&T Arena.
- BB&T Arena had 5,848 fans in attendance, which was the largest crowd of the season.
- NKU held Wright State to just 3-of-15 (20.0 percent) on three-point attempts, the 10th time this season a Norse opponent has failed to convert at least 30 percent from the arc.
- The Norse had an 18-6 advantage in points off turnovers and a 17-7 advantage in fast break points.
- The game featured 10 ties and seven lead changes.
NEXT UP
- The Norse travel to Cleveland State on Thursday, Jan. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
