HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team took down IUPUI, 84-70, at BB&T Arena on Friday night behind a career-effort from Jalen Tate. The win brings NKU to 19-7 on the year and 11-3 in Horizon League play. IUPUI is now 6-21 on the season and 2-12 in conference action.

STATS LEADERS

• Tate had an incredible night, throwing down 31 points on 10-of-14 (71 percent) shooting. The junior also had seven assists, as well as six rebounds and six steals. He also drew nine fouls in the contest and went 9-for-11 at the stripe
• Trevon Faulkner gave the Norse 14 points on 4-for-8 (50 percent) shooting, which included a 2-for-4 clip (50 percent) from beyond the arc.
• Tyler Sharpe contributed 13 points on 4-for-7 (57 percent) shooting.
• Adrian Nelson rounded out the Norse in double figures with 11 points on 4-for-6 (66 percent) shooting.

TURNING POINT
Tate poured in 11 points in four minutes to help spur a 16-5 run in the second half, providing NKU with a 64-50 lead with 9:44 left in the game.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Layups by Tate and Langdon kicked things off for the Norse. Tate then found Nelson on two-consecutive possessions, starting with a dunk that was followed by a layup. Five minutes in, the Norse held an 8-2 edge thanks to the Nelson scores.
• A 14-2 IUPUI run gave the Jaguars a 13-10 lead with 10:46 to go in the half. Tate broke up the run by tying things up with a three-pointer.
• IUPUI's hot start continued as its lead stretched out to 26-14. NKU's luck reversed at the 7:32 mark with a layup by Sharpe. The Norse then had points in the next four possessions to trim the deficit to 28-23.
• The Norse comeback-effort continued with a barrage of three-pointers by Faulkner, Sharpe and Langdon to knot up the score at 32 apiece.
• Faulkner went to the line with 3:17 left to convert a three-point play to give the Norse a 35-34 lead.
• The Norse went into the break with a 42-39 advantage. Faulkner and Tate each had 11 to begin the game as NKU shot 16-for-30 (53 percent) from the floor.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• A Faulkner jump-shot and a layup by Sharpe put the Norse in a good spot to start the half, bringing the NKU lead to 47-41.
• Tate poured in seven more points for the Norse beginning at the 15:30 mark. Sharpe fed the junior beyond the arc for a triple before he brought in a pair of layups.
• Eleeda sank a three-pointer of his own with 12:34 to go before Tate fired off for four more points. The Norse, now on a 14-5 run, were leading 62-50 with 10 minutes left.
• After a pair of free throws from both Sharpe and Tre Cobbs, kept the Norse momentum rolling with a poster dunk at the 7:06 mark as NKU lead 68-56.
• After another two scores by Tate, Nelson went to the line on back-to-back possessions for three makes, giving NKU a 75-64 cushion with 2:27 left.
• Tate sealed up the game with a pair of free throws with 1:15 and 53 seconds left respectively.
• The Norse were highly efficient in the second stanza, scoring 42 points off of just 21 field-goal attempts. They went 16-of-25 from the charity stripe.

GAME NOTES

• Tate's 31 points are a new career high, surpassing his previous-best mark of 30 against at Green Bay on March 2, 2019.
• Tate's six steals are also a new best. He had five against Oakland last season on March 11, 2019.
• Tate is now the third Norse this season to have a 30-plus point game; it's the ninth 30-point game for NKU this season.
• This is the ninth game of the season where NKU has shot at or above 50 percent from the floor, remaining undefeated in such games.
• Courtesy of a 33-31 advantage in rebounds, NKU remains a perfect 13-0 in games in which it outrebounds its opponent.
• NKU is 4-0 on the year when four Norse reach double figures.

UP NEXT
The Norse take on UIC on Sunday at BB&T Arena in a 2:00 p.m. matchup. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio and can be heard on ESPN1530 (1530 AM).