HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – A 30-point outburst from Tyler Sharpe earned him the Nike® Horizon League Player of the Week honor, marking the first time the senior has been named player of the week in his career.
 
Sharpe scored early and often in Northern Kentucky's 79-64 win against the Missouri Valley Conference's Illinois State Redbirds. The sharpshooter tallied 15 points in both halves en route to the career-high scoring mark. For the game, the Mt. Washington, Kentucky, native made 10-of-17 field goals (59 percent) and 5-of-8 (63 percent) 3-point attempts. He also contributed four assists, two rebounds and three steals.
 
While Sharpe entered his senior campaign with a reputation as a knock-down 3-point shooter, and he certainly hasn't disappointed with 25 made triples this year, he's been especially disruptive on the defensive end. Through 11 games played, the tough-nosed guard has swiped 23 steals, which are the 35^th-most in the nation, and is averaging 2.1 steals per game. Sharpe has registered a steal in nine of the team's 11 games and has had at least three on six different occasions.
 
With Sharpe's Horizon League Player of the Week award this week, a Norse has now collected the honor in four-consecutive weeks. It's been two years since the same team has collected four-straight weekly league player of the week accolades. Oakland had three players earn four-straight in Dec. 2017.
 
Northern Kentucky heads on the road for its final nonconference tune-up with a Saturday-night showdown at UNC Greensboro. Both teams are currently 8-3 and ranked in the top-120 of the NET rankings, which were released earlier today for the first time this year. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.