HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team began the season in style by opening with a one-point victory over the Ball State Cardinals on Wednesday night in BB&T Arena. The Norse captured the 74-73 win thanks to major assistance from Adrian Nelson with only several seconds remaining as he nabbed his 19^th rebound of the night on an offensive board that eventually secured the victory.

STATS LEADERS

• Nelson had a career-night with an impressive 19 rebounds, 10 on the offensive end of the court and nine on the defensive. His second-career double-double was rounded out by adding 10 points for the Norse off 4-for-8 (50 percent) shooting from the floor and 2-for-8 (25 percent) shooting from the charity stripe.
• Trevon Faulkner tallied a team-best 17 points on the night, going 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from the field and 1-for-3 (33.3%) from three-point range. He added four boards in his 24 minutes of play.
• Marques Warrick contributed 14 points, all of which were counted in the first half. Warrick was one of three Norse, along with Bryson Langdon and Trey Robinson, to dish out four assists.
• Robinson and Adham Eleeda also reached double figures in scoring with 11 and 10, respectively.

TURNING POINT

• With 22 seconds remaining on the clock, Langdon received a pass at the left wing from Robinson and knocked down a vital three-pointer as the Norse reclaimed the lead in what would eventually mark the final score of the game.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• NKU opened up the 2020-21 season with a hot 7-0 start against Ball State. The Norse maintained the lead until the 10:33 mark in the first half, until the score was tied at 19 apiece.  
• The Norse and the Cardinals doubled up on field goal percentage, both going 50 percent from the field. The two teams were not far apart from each other in attempts and makes as the home team went 16-of-32 and Ball State shot 15-of-30.
• NKU dominated time spent with the lead, only allowing Ball State to capture 47 seconds with the outright lead.   
• Faulkner ended the first half with 13 points upon shooting 4-for-8 (50 percent) from the field and nabbing a solo three from beyond the arc.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Despite the Cardinals taking a six-point lead late in the second half, the Norse rallied a victory thanks to key rebounding efforts. NKU outrebounded Ball State 25-24, with two offensive rebounds helping to secure the win in the final seconds of the game.
• The lead was also overcome by impressive shooting from deep range as both Eleeda and Langdon sank three-balls to tie up the game and take the lead, respectively. 
• NKU bested Ball State in 3-point field goal percentage for the second half, with the Norse shooting 20.0 percent compared to the Vikings 16.7 percent performance. 

GAME NOTES

• Nelson earns his second career double-double with 19 rebounds and 10 points, and his 10^th career double-digit rebounding game. Nelson's last career-high rebounding night and first career double-double both took place at UIC on January 10, 2020, where he snatched 15 rebounds and added 13 points. He ended his season last year with nine games in double-digits in the rebounding column.
• NKU went 4-2 last season in games decided by four or fewer points and the team went 10-1 last season when scoring between 70-79 points. The Norse add on to those statistics in the win column with this one-point, 74-73, dub over Ball State.
• This is the second-straight season opener with a freshman breakout performance. Warrick's 14 points and four assists stack up against Langdon's debut last season as he scored 20 points and picked up two assists against UC Clermont on November 5, 2019.  
• NKU finished the game with a total of 43 rebounds obtained. The Norse averaged 36.6 rebounds per game last season.

UP NEXT
Northern Kentucky hits the road to compete against Chattanooga on Saturday, November 28, in its first road game of the 2020-21 season. Coverage for the 2 p.m. matchup will be on ESPN+ and 55KRC (550 AM).