HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team heads to Youngstown, Ohio, for a key matchup between two of the top three teams in the Horizon League, with the Norse set to square off against the Youngstown State Penguins. A 2 p.m. (ET) tip time is set for the contest in YSU's Beeghly Center. The game can be seen on ESPN3 and heard on The Project (100.7/106.3 FM).
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (20-8 Overall, 12-4 Horizon League)
Youngstown State University Penguins (16-12 Overall, 9-6 Horizon League)
Saturday, Feb. 22 – 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Youngstown, Ohio | Beeghly Center (6,300)
TV: ESPN3 with Robb Schmidt (PxP) and Dom Joseph (Color)
Radio: The Project (100.7/106.3 FM) with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Rick Broering (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
 
Fast Break Points 
• NKU won for the 11th time in its last 13 outings with a 73-59 victory at Cleveland State.
• The win is NKU's 20th of the season, giving it four-straight 20-win campaigns for just the second time in program history, joining the 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98 teams.
• NKU, which is just one of 16 teams with nine or more true road wins, plays its last road game of the regular-season at YSU on Saturday afternoon. The Norse are 10-9 all-time against the Penguins, but just 3-6 all-time in Youngstown, Ohio, despite winning the last two.
• BB&T Arena has been a particularly tough place to play for opposing teams. NKU is 11-3 at home this year and 52-8 (.867) since the start of the 2016-17 season.
• NKU has been stingy on the defensive end, holding teams to 65.5 points per game (72nd in the country), and only two opponents have scored more than 73 points against the Norse this season.
• NKU makes its hay with the nation's 35th-best 3-point field-goal shooting defense, limiting foes to just 29.7 percent. However, in the last eight games opponents have hit 37 percent (59-of-159) from three.
• The Norse have ripped off 228 steals so far, a total that ranks 18th in the nation. The team's 8.1 steals per game also rank 33rd.
• Offensively, the Norse are letting it rain from long range this year. The team ranks 12th in the country in 3-point field-goal attempts (764) and 39th in made threes (238).
• Rebounding has been a key to NKU's success this year. The Norse are a perfect 16-0 when either leading or tying in the rebound battle. They are an additional 4-2 when being outrebounded, but keeping the margin within five caroms.
• NKU is in the first year of the Darrin Horn era, as the Kentucky native is just the sixth head coach in the 49th season of the program. In his 10th year as a head coach, Horn has a career record of 191-119.
• NKU has been the most dominant team in the Horizon League over the last three seasons, amassing a 58-19 (.753) mark against league foes while winning four of the combined six league championships (regular season and tournament).
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 92-38 (.708), has won the Horizon League regular season twice (2018, 2019) and league tourney twice (2017, 2019), and has played in both the NCAA Tournament (2017, 2019) or NIT (2018) every year. No other team in DI history has registered this level of accomplishments in its first three-plus years with active status.
• F Dantez Walton is averaging a team-best 16.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg, but has missed 11 games to injury this season. He currently ranks 34th all-time in scoring at NKU with 944 points.
• Walton went for 22 points and eight boards against CSU, his sixth game with at least 20 points this year.
• G Jalen Tate is stuffing the stat sheet with averages of 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
• Over the last four games, Tate has averaged 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.5 steals.
• G Tyler Sharpe became NKU's 28th member of the 1,000-point club with a career-high-tying 33-point outing versus Youngstown State, his fifth 30-point showing this year. He now ranks 23rd all-time at NKU with 1,142 points.
• Sharpe is averaging 15.3 points per game and his 70 made threes rank 53rd in the nation.
• G Trevon Faulkner has reached double figures in 13-of-16 Horizon League games. He is averaging 12.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game overall, but 13.1 ppg in league games.
• F Adrian Nelson has hauled in double-figure rebound totals in eight of the team's 16 league contests. He's averaging 5.5 ppg and 8.4 rpg in league play.
• G Bryson Langdon registered a career-high 22-point performance at Green Bay and is averaging 8.3 points per game for the Norse.
• Langdon leads the league with a 1.82 assist-to-turnover ratio as well.
 
Last Time Out
NKU posted a season-high 24 second-chance points and Walton put together a 22-point, eight-rebound effort as the Norse defeated the Vikings, 73-59, on Thursday night.  After NKU led by three at intermission, CSU hit a three to open the second. But, Silas Adheke scored off a feed from Sharpe and Tate picked up one of his four game-high steals and flushed a two-handed jam to put NKU back ahead. Walton then hit consecutive threes and the Norse continued to build their lead, extending to as many as 18 points. Tate finished with 16 points, five boards and three assists to go with his four steals. Sharpe added 10 points and five assists. Nelson cleaned the boards to the tune of 13 rebounds, helping Northern Kentucky to a 43-38 win on the boards.
 
Scouting Youngstown State
The Penguins pulled off an 18-point win over league-leading Wright State behind an incredible 41-point effort from Darius Quisenberry, who made 14-of-26 shots, including 7-of-11 from three. Naz Bohannon contributed 16 points and 14 rebounds as YSU dominated the glass, 43-24. Youngstown State is now 16-12 overall and 9-6 in the Horizon League. Quisenberry is now averaging 16.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. Bohannon contributes 10.9 points and 8.8 rpg. In league games, the Penguins score at a 75.5 ppg clip while giving up 74.5. They also dominate the boards at a +4.5 rpg pace. YSU has been dominant at home, posting a 12-3 record this year, including 6-2 mark in league play with both home league losses coming in overtime.
 
Series Stuff
Saturday's game marks the 20th meeting between the Norse and Penguins, with NKU holding a slim 10-9 advantage in the series. Northern Kentucky has won the last six matchups, but is only 3-6 all-time in Youngstown, Ohio. In the DI era, NKU is 2-3 against YSU at the Beeghly Center, but has won the last two.
 
Sharpe hit a career milestone in the first meeting, wasting little time in reaching the  1,000-point plateau after scoring nine points in the first four minutes of the game to reach the milestone. Northern Kentucky broke a 23-all tie with just under seven minutes left to play in the first half, closing the stanza on a 26-5 run to take a commanding 48-29 lead into intermission. NKU went on to post an 88-63 win. Sharpe finished with 33 points, the third time this season and second-straight game in which he hit his career mark. Faulkner added 22 points, while Tate and Langdon also reached double figures with 11 and 10, respectively. Nelson hauled in 10 rebounds, marking the third-straight double-digit rebounding effort for the sophomore.