HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team dropped its first decision in Horizon League play against Youngstown State on Sunday, Dec. 20, by a score of 60-70. The Norse move to 3-4 on the season and 1-1 in Horizon League play while the Penguins shift to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in League play.
STATS LEADERS
· Trevon Faulkner poured in 20 points, his second time reaching the 20-point benchmark in the past three contests. He added seven rebounds, two steals and an assist.
· Adrian Nelson continued his onslaught on the glass, snaring 12 caroms for his sixth double-digit rebounding effort of the season. He was one point away from securing his fourth double-double on the year.
· Bryson Langdon dropped nine points in the Norse scoring column and dished out three assists.
TURNING POINT
· A 9-0 run by the Penguins beginning at the 11:17 mark in the second half lifted YSU by seven points and the Norse could not overcome.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
· Scoring was at a premium in the first half, but Northern Kentucky took a 27-25 advantage into intermission thanks to Faulkner's 11 points.
· Youngstown State staked a 16-9 lead midway through the stanza, and later pushed it out to 19-11.
· NKU responded with a 9-2 run to pull within a pair. It then scored six of the last eight points of the frame to hold the halftime lead.
· While the Norse made only 35 percent (10-of-29) of their shots, their defense held the Penguins to only 31 percent (9-of-29) from the floor and 18 percent (2-of-11) from three.
· Nelson snagged eight caroms as NKU outrebounded YSU, 20-17, in the half.
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
· The two teams traded scoring to open the second frame before Nelson capped a mini 6-2 NKU spurt to put the Norse ahead 40-36.
· YSU used a 14-2 run over a span of 4:04 to open an eight-point lead. The Penguins pushed out by as many 11 with 1:33 remaining.
· The Norse capitalized on points off turnovers, dropping 16 points off Penguin miscues compared to six points added from turnovers committed by NKU.
· The entire game was well-balanced from the field with NKU shooting 23-of-56 (41 percent) from the field and YSU with a close parallel of 23-of-56 (42 percent) in the same stat line.
GAME NOTES
· Despite the Norse connecting on 8-of-9 (89 percent) attempts from the line, YSU more than doubled the home team's attempts. The Penguins went 17-of-22 (77 percent) from the charity stripe, providing a nine-point lift from the line itself.
· All eight players that stepped foot on the court for NKU found the bottom of the basket.
· The game marks the first loss NKU has suffered against the Penguins in the DI era when playing at home. The Norse had previously won the last eight meetings against their Horizon League foe.
NEXT UP
· A two-game set at Oakland awaits Northern Kentucky following Christmas. The Norse and Golden Grizzlies square off on Saturday, Dec. 26 at 7 p.m. and wrap up the series with a 3 p.m. showing on Sunday, Dec. 27.
#NorseUp
