DAYTON, Ohio –  The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team fell to Wright State on Friday evening by a final score of 81-77. NKU falls to 20-7 overall and 10-4 in the Horizon League. The Raiders move to 16-11 on the season and 10-4 in league play. Both teams are now tied for first place in the Horizon League standings.
 
STATS LEADERS

• Drew McDonald just missed out on a double-double with 23 points and nine rebounds.
• Dantez Walton added 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
• Tyler Sharpe also had 16 points. He added two rebounds, three assists and two steals.

 
TURNING POINT

• The score was tied 75-75 with 1:42 to play. Wright State scored six-straight points and went on to win the game, 81-77.

 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• The game started as a high-scoring contest, as NKU had a 20-17 lead at the first media timeout.
• Wright State tied the game at 20-20, but the Norse went on a 13-0 run to jump out to a 33-20 lead with 8:35 to play.
• NKU led by as much as 16 points in the half, but WSU battled back with a 13-0 run of their own to cut the NKU lead to 43-40 with 1:46 to play.
• The Norse took a 49-44 lead into halftime.
• NKU shot a blistering 19-of-31 (61.3 percent) from the floor and 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) on three-point attempts.
• Wright State went 17-of-29 (58.6 percent) on field goals and 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) on shots from beyond the arc.
• McDonald led the Norse with 13 points, and Walton added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

 
SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• NKU led 63-56 with 14:14 to play in the game. Wright State used an 8-0 run to go ahead 64-63 with 12:54 remaining.
• Points were hard to come by over the next few minutes for both teams. With Wright State leading 67-65, McDonald knocked down a three-pointer out of a media timeout to put the Norse ahead 68-67 with 7:30 to play.
• The game stayed close down the stretch. Wright State had a 78-75 lead with 23.5 seconds left in the contest. The Raiders hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 20 seconds to get the 81-77 win.
• The Norse shot 11-of-29 (37.9 percent) on field goals in the half.
• Wright State went 12-of-24 (50.0 percent) from the floor.

 
GAME NOTES

• McDonald now ranks third all-time in scoring at NKU with 1,949 points. He also moved into a tie for fourth place for most games played in NKU history with 124.
• The Norse shot 30-of-60 (50.0 percent) on field goals during the game.
• Wright State went 29-of-53 (54.7 percent) from the floor.

 
NEXT UP

• The Norse host Youngstown State on Thursday, Feb. 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at BB&T Arena, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.