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

 
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky defeated Robert Morris 78-64 Thursday at BB&T Arena, avenging a Jan. 15 loss to the Colonials and bolstering its Horizon League resume ahead of Saturday's regular-season finale.
 
The Norse are assured a Top Four seed in the Horizon League Tournament, ensuring they will start with a bye and host a quarterfinal.

STATS LEADERS

• Marques Warrick scored a career-high-tying 30 points, bolstered by a career-high seven 3-pointers, and added seven rebounds and an assist. He went 10-for-19 from the field and 7-for-10 from the perimeter.
• Trevon Faulkner added 10 points, six rebounds, a team-high five assists, a steal and a block.
• Adrian Nelson grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go with six points.

TURNING POINT

• NKU broke open the game on a 14-3 run that included four Marques Warrick 3-pointers. He hit back-to-back triples for a 34-17 lead and the Norse eventually stretched their advantage to 29 points.  

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• NKU scored a season-high 46 first-half points behind Marques Warrick's 20 points on 5-of-6 perimeter shooting. The Norse shot 56.7% from the field and 63.6% from 3-point range.
• NKU made six of its first eight field goal attempts, including two 3-pointers, and led by 10 by the first media timeout. Sam Vinson scored four of NKU's first seven points and procured a steal that led to a Trevon Faulkner 3-pointer. Marques Warrick's triple extended a 10-2 Norse run. Faulkner's follow on a missed 3-pointer paved the way for a stickback and Bryson Langdon's subsequent lay-in added to the bounty.
• Robert Morris halved a 12-point deficit through a 6-0 spurt. After a Norse timeout, Trey Robinson – who prolonged NKU's possession with an offensive rebound – whipped the ball across the court to Marques Warrick in the corner, and the sophomore hit a trey for a nine-point NKU lead.
• The Norse amassed a 17-point lead with 9:15 to play.
• NKU held RMU scoreless for three minutes en route to a 40-22 advantage and went to the halftime locker room with a 46-31 lead.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse reeled off six fast-break points in short order and maintained the momentum in the first five minutes of the second half. An 11-2 run ensured NKU's 57-35 lead.
• Hubie Pivorius hit a corner 3-pointer as part of a 9-0 Norse spurt. The Colonials missed 13 of their first 16 shots of the second half and were held scoreless for more than four minutes as NKU's lead ballooned.
• Marques Warrick's career-high seventh 3-pointer gave NKU a 29-point lead with 6:46 to play.
• RMU gained steam in the final minutes as NKU subbed out starters. The Colonials mounted an 8-0 run over 2:12.
• NKU's Noah Hupmann scored his first layup of the season and Isaiah Mason converted his first basket since Feb. 9 at Milwaukee and the Norse prevailed.

GAME NOTES

• NKU controlled the glass throughout and out-rebounded RMU 39-23. The Norse were particularly potent on the offensive glass. They finished with 17 offensive boards and scored 18 second-chance points.
• The Norse seized opportunities to score on the run with 17 fast-break points.

UP NEXT
Northern Kentucky hosts Youngstown State on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in a regular-season finale.