DETROIT – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team lost to Detroit Mercy, 66-58, on Friday night at Calihan Hall. The Norse fall to 9-6 on the season and 1-2 in the Horizon League with the loss, while Detroit Mercy moves to 3-12 on the year and an even 1-1 in Horizon League play.

STATS LEADERS

• Adham Eleeda lead NKU with 14 points on 5-for-10 (50 percent) shooting, which included a 4-of-9 (44 percent) mark from beyond the arc.
• Jalen Tate had 11 points and four rebounds in the contest.  
• Trevon Faulkner had 13 points on the night on 4-of-7 (57 percent) shooting. He was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
• Silas Adheke had five points and eight rebounds.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse took off to a 9-0 lead to begin the game thanks to scores by Tate and Langdon, as well as a three-pointer by Mocaby.
• Tate slipped a pass to Adheke in the post at the 15:40 mark, who sank a tough basket with four defenders on him. Later that minute, Adheke also reached the line after being fouled and hit a free throw, increasing the early Norse advantage to 12-2.
• NKU's lead reached 16-4 before the Titans fought back with 14-consecutive points to take the lead.
• Faulkner ended the NKU drought at the 6:58 mark to tie the game up at 18 apiece. The Norse then went to the line on three-straight possessions thanks to Faulkner, Langdon and a three-point play by Tate to gain a 25-21 lead.
• NKU ended the half with a 27-26 edge over the Titans. Detroit Mercy was held to just 10-of26 (39 percent shooting) and a 1-for-8 mark (13 percent) from beyond the arc.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Tate scored the opening points of the second half when Langdon found him for a layup. Detroit Mercy then went on a 16-4 run, creating a nine-point, 42-33 lead with 14:18 to go.
• The Norse played pretty even with the Titans once the dry spell ended. Sharpe fed Faulkner with 10:14 left and then drilled a three-pointer 30 seconds later to keep the deficit at nine.
• Detroit Mercy's lead reached as high as 16 points in the second half until NKU pulled off a 10-0 run beginning at the 4:06 mark with a pair of three-pointers by Eleeda.
• Following Eleeda's spark, Faulkner went to the line, sank two and made a layup to make it a two-possession game at 61-56.
• Unfortunately, the Norse come back fell short as Detroit Mercy hit enough free throws in the final minute to keep the game out of reach.

GAME NOTES

• Eleeda's 14 points is a new career-high. His previous best was 12 against Midway on November 25.
• Offenses facing NKU's defense haven't eclipsed the 66-point mark in the last eight games.
• The Norse held Detroit Mercy to just 4-of-15 (27 percent) shooting. NKU is now holding opponents to an outstanding 81-304 (27 percent) mark from the three-point line.  

UP NEXT

NKU's road trip continues as the Norse head North to Rochester, Michigan to play Oakland on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN3 and can be heard on ESPN1530 (1530 AM).