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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team lost a close battle against Western Illinois, 69-67. NKU drops to 2-2 for the season, and Western Illinois advances to 4-1 on the year.

STATS LEADERS

• Hubertas Pivorius led the Norse in the scoring column with 20 and went 4-of-7 (57 percent) from behind the arc. Pivorius added one defensive rebound to his game as well.
• Adrian Nelson led NKU with 10 rebounds, five being on the offensive end. Nelson added eight points and went 4-for-9 (44 percent) from the field.
• David Böhm scored 14 points for the Norse, shooting 3-for-4 (75 percent) from the three-point line. Böhm dished out one assist for the night and grabbed five rebounds.
• Sam Vinson pitched in 11 points, four steals, six rebounds and three assists in the contest.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• To start off the game, NKU went on a 10-0 run, which was fueled by Pivorius, Nelson and Faulkner. Pivorius swished a pair of baskets, one from behind-the-arc, and Nelson followed up with a layup of his own. To conclude the run, Faulkner drained a triple dished out by Böhm.
• A quick and sneaky steal by Warrick allowed him to secure a layup. Following the attack, Langdon sinks a pull-up jumper to give the Norse the early 19-4 lead at the 14:22 mark.
• The Norse's lockdown defense held the Leatherneck's scoreless for four minutes. On the offensive end, Böhm knocked in a free-throw and made a long range three.
• The and-one basket and free throw by Vinson at the 6:09 mark gave the Norse the 31-12 advantage.
• WIU went on a 4:25 minute scoring drought, allowing the Norse to continue their lead. During the drought, Pivorius swished a triple, which was assisted by Langdon.
• Nelson pulled down his fourth offensive rebound at the 1:49 mark and converted it to a powerful layup. His bucket and Vinson's two free-throws gave the Norse a hefty lead going into the half, 37-23.  

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Vinson took a stroll down the lane to open up scoring in the second half. An alley oop was shortly followed at the 15:57 mark by Chris Brandon. The beautiful assist from Faulkner brought the crowd to their feet.
• NKU went on a 4:51 minute scoring drought, allowing Western Illinois to take the one-point advantage. Nelson stopped the drought with a layup at the 11:12 mark.
• At the 9:02 mark, Pivorius' triple gave the Norse some adrenaline and the lead back at 50-47. Pivorius continued to take control on the offensive end with a drive-in finish at the rim.
• Continuing the adrenaline rush, Pivorius swished his fourth triple of the night. This shot put the Norse up two, 58-56, with 3:42 left to play.
• Böhm came alive with a finish at the rim and a three, which was assisted by Vinson, to give NKU the two-point advantage at the 1:55 mark.
• To conclude the game, Vinson converted two layups, but the Leatherneck's were able to hang around and compete. At the 0.30-second mark, WIU made a bunny which allowed it to win 69-67.

GAME NOTES

• Northern Kentucky finished the game shooting 45 percent (26-of-58) from the floor and 53 percent (8-of-15) from deep. Western Illinois converted 40 percent (27-of-68) of its attempts, including 38 percent (12-of-32) from three.
• Pivorius had a career-high 20 points, shooting 7-of-10 (70 percent) from the field and 4-of-7 (57 percent) from three. He tacked on two points from the line on two attempts.
• Nelson topped his season rebounding average, hauling in 10 rebounds after averaging nine for the season this far.
• NKU's key struggle was 22 turnovers for the night which doubled their season average of 11.5.
• The Norse outscored the Leatherneck's in the paint 34-22.

UP NEXT

The Norse travel to DePaul University for their fifth game of the season on Friday, Nov. 26. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. (ET)/4 p.m. (CT).