Brought to you by Rebel Mettle Brewery, proud sponsor of Norse Men's Basketball.

 
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit, engineered a 26-4 run and defeated Horizon League leader Cleveland State 78-72 in a Sunday comeback thriller at BB&T Arena.

The win, NKU's fifth straight, avenged the Norse's Dec. 2 loss at Cleveland State. NKU improved to 11-9 (7-4 Horizon League) while the Vikings dropped to 14-5 (10-2).

STATS LEADERS

• Marques Warrick led NKU with 19 points behind a career-high-tying five 3-pointers. He added six rebounds, four assists and a steal.
• Sam Vinson scored nine of his 18 points in NKU's game-changing run. He chipped in five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
• Trevon Faulkner contributed 14 points, including eight in the Norse's pivotal run, with four rebounds and two assists.
• Chris Brandon had a team-best 12 rebounds. He went  2-for-2 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line for seven points.
• Bryson Langdon amassed eight points on 3-for-3 shooting with seven assists, a rebound and a steal.

TURNING POINT

• Cleveland State surged to a 14-point lead with 13:01 left. NKU answered with a 24-6 run and rode the momentum to a fifth straight victory. 

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Turnovers plagued NKU from the start, as the Vikings scored two straight baskets off miscues en route to the lead.
• Marques Warrick's three 3-pointers were bright spots for a Norse team that went 4-of-12 (33.3%) from the field in the early going.
• Seven miscues piled up for the Norse midway through the half. Although Cleveland State scored eight points off turnovers in the first eight minutes, NKU returned the favor with eight points off turnovers later in the half.
• The tide began to change for NKU when Trevon Faulkner buried a 3-pointer and, 31 seconds later, provided an assist on Marques Warrick's fourth triple. Sam Vinson's two free throws padded an 8-0 run and ensured NKU's first lead (20-19) with 7:35 remaining.
• The Vikings parlayed a 7-0 run into a 36-30 halftime advantage. They outscored NKU in the paint 24-6 and had a 13-0 advantage in fast-break points.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Cleveland State's back-to-back steals and layups augmented an 8-0 run. The Vikings outscored the Norse 14-7 in the first five minutes of the second half.
• Sam Vinson and Trevon Faulkner converted back-to-back 3-pointers to cut into a 14-point deficit, NKU's largest of the day. Marques Warrick tied a career single-game high with his fifth 3-pointer at the 9:30 mark and NKU, bolstered by a 24-6 run, surged ahead 63-59 with 5:02 left.
• Chris Brandon's 3-point play with 3:24 remaining gave the Norse a 68-62 lead. The Vikings pulled within one point with 1:02 left after Broc Finstuen's two free throws.
• Bryson Langdon, fouled while banking in a pull-up jumper, made the ensuing free throw with 31 seconds remaining for a 73-69 NKU edge.
• Trevon Faulkner and Chris Brandon closed out the game from the free-throw line.

GAME NOTES

• The Norse snapped Cleveland State's four-game winning streak and handed the Vikings a second conference loss. The team's other Horizon League defeat was to Oakland Jan. 13.
• NKU put up 48 second-half points and only had four turnovers after the break.
• The Norse won the rebounding battle 37-28 and outscored the Vikings 18-6 in second-chance points.

UP NEXT
Northern Kentucky hosts Horizon League foe Oakland at 7 p.m. Thursday at BB&T Arena. The Norse close out a five-game home stand Feb. 5 against Detroit Mercy.