HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team put together an 82-70 victory over Coppin State on Sunday afternoon at BB&T Arena, moving the Norse to 3-1 on the season.

STATS LEADERS

• Dantez Walton lead all scorers with 24 points on the day. He also contributed nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in the contest.
• Tyler Sharpe made it a one-two scoring punch in conjunction with Walton, scoring 23 points. The senior went 6-of-12 from three-point range, with five of his threes coming in the first half. Sharpe also added five rebounds, three steals and two assists to the cause.
• Karl Harris had a crucial 14 points in the game, going 6-of-9 (66 percent) from the floor. He also served as a rim protector for the Norse, coming up with a career-high three blocked shots. Harris grabbed five rebounds as well.
• Silas Adheke did a great job on the boards for the Norse, pulling down 12 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive end.

TURNING POINT

• With the score being within a few possessions for much of the game, NKU kept things out of reach thanks to breakaway baskets in transition with five minutes left. Sharpe drilled a three-pointer and Harris found two easy layups in the span of the minute to make it 75-62 Norse.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse started things off with a barrage of three-pointers. Sharpe, Harris and Walton each sunk triples in the opening five minutes, helping the Norse to a 10-6 advantage.
• Paul Djoko later joined the three-point parade and Adheke scored a bucket, putting NKU up 20-11.
• After a solid start to the half, Sharpe's reign from beyond the arc continued the Norse outpacing of the Eagles. NKU ended the half with a 34-28 lead thanks to Sharpe's 5-of-10 shooting from three.
• The Norse posted an 8-of-20 (40 percent) clip from three in the half, which was better than their 12-of-31 (38 percent) mark overall from the floor.
• NKU's perimeter defense was stifling, forcing Coppin State to a 3-of-12 (25 percent) mark from three.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Walton soon stepped into the spotlight, pouring in nine of the first 13 NKU points after the break, with six coming off of three-pointers.  
• After trading blows with Coppin State for much of the half, NKU stretched the lead to 10 points, at 62-52, when Faulkner passed it over to an open Sharpe for three with 8:14 to go.
• Following a jumper from Walton and a three from Sharpe, Harris poured on transition offense to put the game out of reach, giving NKU six points in the final minutes.
• Northern Kentucky made 18-of-32 (56 percent) from the floor in the second half, which included a 6-for-15 (40 percent) showing from 3-point territory.
• Coppin State improved its first half shooting from the floor, converting 15-of-33 (46 percent. However, the Norse continued to stifle the Eagles from long range and held them to a paltry 2-for-14 (14.3 percent).

GAME NOTES

• The Norse finished the game with a 14-of-35 mark (40 percent) from three-point range.
• NKU had two players reach the 20-point threshold for the first time since March 6, 2019, against Detroit Mercy. This is the second-straight time Sharpe has been a part of a result like this, scoring 25 in that matchup.
• Walton's 24 points is a new career high, besting his old ceiling of 20 points against IUPUI on February 2 last season.
• Adheke grabbed 12 rebounds to lead all players on the boards. The total is two off his career-high 14 set last season.
• With Coppin State's 19 percent (5-of-26) shooting from 3-point range today, Northern Kentucky is now holding opponents to just 27.6 percent from long range on the year. No opponent has shot better than 32 percent from deep against the Norse.
• Northern Kentucky entered the game with an assist rate of 61.7 percent and promptly handed out 21 assists on 30 made baskets, an assist rate of 70 percent. The Norse have dished at least 20 assists in two of the teams four games this year.

 
NEXT UP
NKU takes on Ball State in a road matchup on Wednesday. The 7:00 p.m. tip-off can be watched on ESPN+ and heard on 55KRC.