HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – In a 1 p.m. tip on Saturday afternoon, the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team will take on Youngstown State at the Beeghly Center on YSU's campus.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (15-4 Overall, 5-1 Horizon League)
Youngstown State University Penguins (6-14 Overall, 2-5 Horizon League)
Saturday, Jan. 19 – 1 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN3 with Robb Schmidt (PxP) and Ron Potesta (Color)
Radio: 55KRC with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Steve Moeller (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU improved to 15-4 after defeating Cleveland State 91-76 on Thursday night, moving into a tie with Detroit Mercy atop the Horizon League standings at 5-1.
• NKU poured in 15 threes versus CSU, marking the first time the Norse made 15 or more treys in a game since Jan. 21, 2012 when they made 15 against Lewis.
• The Norse have now won seven of their last eight contests and are off to their best start since 2011-12, the last year of DII competition where NKU also started 15-4.
• NKU is 7-9 all-time against Youngstown State, its Saturday afternoon opponent.
• NKU is averaging 16.7 assists per game, No. 24 in the nation. The Norse also rank 10th in the country in total assists with 317 with seven games where they've handed out at least 20 dimes.
• NKU is letting it fly from 3-point range, ranking 28th in attempts (490) and 20th in made treys (176). The Norse are making 9.3 threes per game, which are the 50th-most nationally.
• Foes are converting just 40.1 percent of their shots versus NKU, 39th-best nationally. The Norse are also 69th in scoring defense, allowing teams to post just 66.9 points per game.
• The Norse were picked to finish second in the Horizon League, receiving 356 points and 10 first-place votes. Wright State was picked first with 377 points.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 35-11 against Horizon League competition, the best of any league school against the rest of the conference. Wright State is next at 31-15.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 61-25, has won the Horizon League regular season (2018) and league tourney (2017), and has played in both the NCAA Tournament (2017) and NIT (2018). No other team in DI history has accomplished this feat.
• F Drew McDonald leads four Norse averaging double digits on the year at 18.8 points. He also leads NKU at 10.4 rebounds per game (12th in nation). His 10 double-doubles rank 11th nationally and he is one of just 19 players to register a triple-double this year.
• In his last 26 games against Horizon League opponents, dating back to March 17, 2017, McDonald has posted a double-double 18 times.
• McDonald is one of five active players in Division I basketball with at least 1,700 career points (1,789) and 900 career boards (959). He is also tied fifth for career double-doubles (44) among active players.
• G Jalen Tate is averaging 13.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this year. He is making 59.0 percent (72-of-122) of his shots.
• Since returning from injury seven games ago, Tate has averaged 15.7 ppg behind 66.7 percent (40-of-60) field-goal shooting and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) 3-point shooting, while also averaging 4.3 apg.
• G Tyler Sharpe is second on the team in scoring, pouring in 14.4 points per game and, in 14 of the team's 19 games has hit at least two threes.
• F Dantez Walton is averaging 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds. In his first two seasons as a Norse (61 games), he posted nine combined double-figure scoring games. He already has 13 double-digit scoring outputs this year.
• G Zaynah Robinson is running the show for the Norse and is second on the team at 3.3 assists per game. He is averaging 9.1 points per game.
• G Trevon Faulkner has started the last 12 games for the Norse, playing more than 22 minutes per outing and has dished out 22 assists while committing just seven miscues. In league play, he has 11 assists to just one turnover and is averaging 6.3 ppg.
 
Last Time Out
Light snow may have been falling outside the Wolstein Center in Cleveland Thursday night, but the Norse were letting the 3-pointers rain inside. NKU buried 15 threes in the game, marking the first time the team made at least 15 in a game since also converting 15 in a 77-66 win over Lewis on Jan. 21, 2012. Sharpe and Robinson each knocked down five threes, while McDonald added a trio and Tate and Walton chipped in one triple apiece. The Norse converted 47 percent of their threes and 49 percent (32-of-65) of all shot attempts, due in part to 20 assists and just five turnovers. NKU also owned the points in the paint (32-22), points off turnover (15-4) and the rebounding battle (37-29). Sharpe poured in 23 points, matching CSU's Rashad Williams for the night's high total. McDonald notched a 19-point, 15-rebound, six-assist showing. Both Robinson and Tate added 17 to give the Norse four scorers in double figures.
 
Scouting Youngstown State
At 6-14 overall and 2-5 in league play, Youngstown State currently sits ninth in the Horizon League standings. The Penguins suffered an 80-74 setback to Wright State at the Beeghly Center on Thursday night. Darius Quisenberry averages 12.7 points per game on the season to lead YSU, but has upped that mark to 16.7 ppg in league play. While the Penguins post 76.1 ppg across its 20-game slate so far, they allow 79.9 ppg. In an oddity, Youngstown State is 0-3 at home in league play, but 2-2 on the road.
 
Series Stuff
In a 16-game history that dates back to 1976, Northern Kentucky is 7-9 all-time against Youngstown State. The Norse are 5-3 against the Penguins in the Division I era and have won the last three games in the series. However, NKU is just 2-6 all-time in Youngstown. In the two games last season, Drew McDonald averaged 26.5 points and 14 rebounds per game.
 
Game Time Change
Saturday's game at Youngstown State was moved to a 1 p.m. tip due to pending winter storms slated to hit Youngstown, Ohio, Saturday.