HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team strung up its third-consecutive win in a back-and-forth, 59-57, matchup against Ball State. With the victory, NKU improves to 4-1 on the season. Ball State slides to 3-2.
 
STATS LEADERS

• Dantez Walton had another strong game with 18 points and six rebounds on the night.
• Trevon Faulkner had a great stretch to end the game and finished in double digits with 17 points, going 5-of-10 (50 percent) from the floor.
• Tyler Sharpe contributed 10 points on the night as the third Norse with double figures.
   

TURNING POINT

• With a rough start to the second half that saw Ball State pull ahead by nine with just under 15 minutes left, the Norse rallied with a 12-2 run to take the lead and setup a high-octane showdown for the rest of the game.
• NKU solidified the win in the final seconds as Ball State missed a tightly contested basket and the Norse grabbed the ball.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse broke out to an 11-9 lead in the opening eight minutes following scores by five different players.  
• Defense continued to be the calling card as the first half progressed. With eight minutes to go before the break, NKU lead, 16-13, with Sharpe leading all scorers at five points.
• The half ended with the Norse trailing, 22-21. NKU's last three points of the half came from the charity stripe with Sharpe sinking two and Walton adding another.
• Both teams had their struggles shooting the ball. The Norse went 7-for-25 (28 percent) from the field and the Cardinals had a 9-for-26 (35 percent) mark.
• Going into the break, Sharpe had seven points and Walton had six, as well as four rebounds.
• The largest lead of the half was just three points.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• The Cardinals began the second half on a 15-5 run to increase their lead to 37-28 in the first five minutes.  
• A jumper by Faulkner and an and-one layup by Walton would claw the Norse back into striking distance to trail 37-33 with 13:48 left.
• Northern Kentucky fueled its recent run of points further with three-straight transition baskets by Walton, pushing the Norse to a 40-39 lead with 11:21 to go. Walton's baskets during this stretch were part of 10-straight points scored by the senior.
• The game turned into a nail biter from there as the lead by either side never surpassed two possessions.
• NKU held a 55-54 lead with just 50 seconds left and hung on thanks crucial free throws by Faulkner and Adham Eleeda.

GAME NOTES

• The Norse finished the game with a 19-of-51 (37 percent) clip, which saw significant improvement over the course of the game thanks to 12-for-26 (46 percent) shooting in the second half.
• This is the second matchup of the season where the Norse held an opponent under 60 points and the first against a Division I opponent.
• Faulkner is now shooting at a 20-of-42 (48 percent) mark this season.
• Ball State went just 9-of-26 (35 percent) from the charity stripe.
• Northern Kentucky won the battle of the boards, 38-37, as Walton, Faulkner and Paul Djoko each grabbed six boards.
• The Norse also outscored the Cardinals 18-13 in points off turnovers and 11-5 in fast break points.

 
NEXT UP
The Norse return home to BB&T Arena on Saturday for a matchup with Texas Southern at 7:00 p.m. The game can be watched on ESPN3 and heard on the airwaves at 55KRC (550 AM).