HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Tyler Sharpe was the man of the night as he became the newest member of the 1,000^th-point club for Northern Kentucky men's basketball. Sharpe needed seven points entering the game and quickly nabbed the honor with 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc by the 12:14 mark of the first half. NKU ultimately defeated Youngstown State by a handy 25-point margin, 88-63. The Norse improved to 13-6 on the season and 5-2 in Horizon League action, while the Penguins fall to 11-8 overall and 4-2 in the league.
STATS LEADERS

• Sharpe led all scorers on the night with 33 total points. Twenty-seven (27) points were tallied from beyond the arc as the sharpshooter went 9-of-12 (75 percent) and 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) from the field. His nine three's mark a career high, surpassing his previous total of six which he recorded on four separate occasions.  
• Trevon Faulkner bested the 20-point mark with 22 total points. The sophomore guard went 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the floor and grabbed four rebounds. Faulkner was perfect from the free throw line going 5-of-5 (100 percent).
• Jalen Tate joined the double-figure group with 11 points, largely earned through free throws as he went 7-of-8 (87.5 percent). Tate rounded out the stat sheet with four rebounds, three assists and two blocks. 
• Bryson Langdon is also part of the double-figure club with 10 points. He boosted NKU's shooting percentage with a 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) performance and added four assists and three rebounds.
• Adrian Nelson snatched 10 rebounds, his third-straight game totaling double figures in the stat.

TURNING POINT

• The Norse went on a 25-6 run in the final 6:44 of the first half to capture a 48-29 lead at the half. The Penguins were only allowed a single bucket by the Norse defense while the remaining four points were tallied by free-throw attempts.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Sharpe eclipsed the 1,000^th-point benchmark early in the first half as three quick shots beyond the arc found the bottom of the net. He dropped three more attempts from three-point range in the first half for a total of six three's, going 6-of-8 (75 percent).
• The Norse utilized 16-of-32 (50 percent) shooting from the field and 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) from three-point range to advance to a 19-point lead.
• NKU won the rebounding battle, 22-14, with six rebounds pulled from the offensive end.
• Ten (10) points were added from the free-throw line as NKU went 10-of-11 (90.9 percent).

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse were able to stretch to the final 25-point lead thanks to 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) shooting from the field compared to the Penguin's 9-of-32 (28.1 percent) display. 
• Youngstown won the rebounding battle on the offensive end with 11 boards that went unmatched by the Norse with one. NKU claimed the title on the defensive end, 13 to 11. 
• The Penguins were outscored by the Norse 40-34 in the second half.
• Sharpe's three three-pointers in the second half of his nine total allowed him to outshine the previous DI record for three's in a single contest. Cole Murray drained eight three's on two separate occasions to hold the record, the first against SEMO on December 10, 2016 and the second time against Wright State on February 21, 2017.

GAME NOTES

• The Faulkner-Sharpe duo marks the second time this season two players have surpassed the 20-point mark.
• NKU has been above a 50 percent field goal percentage in back-to-back games. The Norse ended the game at 50.8 percent against YSU and 56.1 percent against IUPUI.
• The Norse added 17 points from the free throw line with a 17-of-19 (89.5 percent) showing.
• This game marks the first of the season with four Norse scoring in double-figures. On three separate occasions this season, five Norse have met double digits in the scoring column.  
• BB&T Arena rained with three's from the Norse, shooting a total of 27 on the night and making 11 (40.7 percent).

UP NEXT
The Norse are set to take on the Vikings of Cleveland State on Saturday, January 18 in a 7 p.m. showing at BB&T Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and 55KRC (550 AM).