CHICAGO – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team defeated UIC, 68-52, on Friday night at Credit Union 1 Arena in front of a national TV audience on ESPN2. With the win, NKU moves to 11-6 on the year and 3-2 in the Horizon League. UIC is now 6-12 on the season and 1-4 in league play.

STATS LEADERS

• Trevon Faulkner lead NKU with 15 points on 6-of-12 (50 percent) shooting.
• Adrian Nelson had a huge night with a 13-point, 15-rebound effort. Nelson was also a perfect 5-5 from the floor and had two blocks.
• Tate was the third Norse in double figures, contributing 12 points, as well as six assists and five rebounds. He shot 5-of-12 (42 percent) on the night.
• Adham Eleeda had a strong night from beyond the arc, firing off at a 3-for-6 (50 percent) clip for nine points.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Faulkner was the first Norse on the board with 16:30 to go in the half with a three-pointer on the left side of the floor. Nelson then followed up on the next Norse possession with a driving layup.
• Each side traded scores as the game settled in. Despite baskets by Adheke, Faulkner and Tate beginning at the 11:51 mark, NKU trailed by a point at 15-14.
• The Flames scored five-straight points from there, but Harris and Faulkner made shots to keep them in check with 7:05 left as NKU was behind, 20-18.
• Facing a three-point deficit, 25-22, at the two-minute mark, the Norse finished off the first half strong with a fast-break dunk by Nelson and a last second jumper by Langdon, putting NKU up 26-25 at the break.
• UIC was held to 9-of-30 (30 percent) shooting and a 3-of-12 (25 percent) mark from beyond the arc.
• Faulkner was the clear frontrunner in the scoring column for the Norse after 20 minutes, posting 10 points on 4-of-7 (57 percent) shooting.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Tate started off the half by making a layup off a UIC turnover. After getting fouled on the play, he converted a free throw for a three-point play.
• The Norse went to work with 16:41 left and put up 11-unanswered points before UIC called a timeout. NKU had a 40-33 lead going into the timeout after a triple by Faulkner with 13:13 to go.
• The points kept coming for the Norse, as the unanswered run ballooned to 30-0 and NKU's defense held UIC scoreless for almost 12 minutes of play. The run featured strong performances by Nelson (eight points) and Tate (seven points) to give NKU a 59-33 advantage.
• UIC made three-consecutive buckets to end the massive NKU run and chip away at the large deficit, but Eleeda and Sharpe sank threes to keep the Flames in check.
• The Flames went on a mini-run to end the game, but the gigantic lead that the Norse put together in the second half proved insurmountable.

GAME NOTES

• NKU finished the night shooting 26-of-54 (48 percent) and with a solid 1.09 points per possession.
• In addition to tonight being his first career double-double, Nelson's 15 rebounds in the game are a new career high. His previous best was 12, which he achieved in contests against Miami (OH) on December 3, 2019 and Milwaukee on December 29, 2019.
• Nelson's 13 points were also a career-high, besting his previous mark of 10, in which he achieved on four separate occasions.
• Eleeda continues his recent three-point success. In the last five matchups, he's 12-of-26 (46 percent) from deep.
• NKU remains undefeated in six contests where they hold an opponent between 51 and 59 points.

UP NEXT

NKU heads to Indianapolis to take on IUPUI on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. The matchup will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on ESPN1530 (1530 AM).