CHICAGO –  The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team fell to UIC on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 69-67. The Flames hit a three-pointer with just over two seconds left to get the victory. NKU falls to 18-6 overall and 8-3 in the Horizon League. UIC moves to 12-12 on the season and 6-5 in league play.
 
STATS LEADERS

• Tyler Sharpe led the Norse with 20 points. He also added four assists.
• Drew McDonald just missed out on a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds.
• Jalen Tate had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.

 
TURNING POINT

• With NKU leading 67-66, UIC's Jamie Ahale hit a three-pointer with just over two seconds left to put the Flames ahead 69-67. The Norse had one final opportunity to score, but the shot missed at the buzzer.

 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• UIC went on a 7-0 run to take a 13-4 lead with 13:15 left in the half.
• The Norse used an 8-0 run to cut UIC's lead to 21-18 with 4:12 remaining.
• The Flames went into halftime ahead 33-25.
• UIC shot 13-of-26 (50.0 percent) from the floor in the half.
• NKU went 8-of-25 (32.0 percent) on field goals.
• Tate led the Norse with six points and Sharpe added five.

 
SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• NKU started the second half on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 33-33. Sharpe hit two three-pointers in the run.
• Sharpe scored 11 points in the first 3:47 of the half.
• The Norse took a 40-39 lead with 14:57 to play after a layup by McDonald.
• Later in the half, NKU trailed 52-46, but the Norse scored six-straight points to tie the game at 52-52 with 6:35 to play.
• With UIC leading 66-65, the Norse forced a turnover. On the next offensive possession, McDonald made a jumper to give the Norse a 67-66 lead with just under a minute to play.
• UIC's Ahale made a three-pointer from the corner with just over two seconds left to give the Flames the 69-67 advantage.
• The Norse shot 17-of-35 (48.6 percent) from the floor, while UIC went 13-of-32 (40.6 percent) on field goals.

 
GAME NOTES

• NKU finished the game shooting 25-of-60 (41.7 percent).
• UIC shot 26-of-58 (44.8 percent) from the floor and went 10-of-11 (90.9 percent) from the free throw line.
• The Norse had a 15-6 advantage in fast-break points.
• Sharpe has reached the 20-point plateau in two-straight games, also scoring 20 against IUPUI on Friday. Combined, Sharpe went 13-of-27 from the floor and 8-of-16 from three in the two games.
• With nine rebounds in the game, McDonald has 999 for his career. One more board will put him over the century mark, becoming just the sixth-player in Horizon League history with over 1,000 career rebounds.

 
NEXT UP

• The Norse return to BB&T Arena on Thursday, Feb. 7 to face Detroit Mercy. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. NKU hosts Oakland on Saturday, Feb. 9 for a 7 p.m. tipoff. That game is part of the university's Homecoming festivities.