HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – New Year's might still be a couple weeks away, but the Northern Kentucky men's basketball program got to celebrate a little early with a big 94-59 win over the University of the Cumberlands on Thursday night in front of Norse Nation inside Truist Arena.
The non-conference clash was the final home game of 2023 for the Norse. NKU hits the road for three marquee games against Eastern Kentucky (Sunday, December 17 at 4 PM ET), Saint Mary's (Thursday, December 21 at 10 PM) and Purdue Fort Wayne (Friday, December 29 at 7 PM), before returning home to Highland Heights after the New Year to take on Youngstown State (Thursday, January 4).
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 94, University of the Cumberlands – 59
LOCATION: Truist Arena – Highland Heights, Kentucky
RECORDS: NKU 6-5 (2-0 HL), UC 12-1 (0-0 MSC)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Marques Warrick dropped a game-best 20 points to go with four rebounds. He shot 7-of-13 (.538) from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
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Trey Robinson continued his hot stretch of play with 15 points, a game-high nine boards, two assists and a steal. The Hamilton, Ohio native has averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds over his last two contests.
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Sam Vinson chipped in 12 points on a 5-of-9 (.555) performance from the floor to go with seven assists, six boards and six swipes. His assist and steal totals were both a season-best for the standout junior.
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Jeramiah Israel posted another big game off the bench with 10 points, three rebounds and a helper. He shot 4-of-6 (.667) from the field, which included a mark of 2-of-4 (.500) from beyond the arc. It was the Erlanger, Kentucky native's second double-digit game so far this season.
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LJ Wells started once again for the Norse and added nine points, three rebounds, one assist and a rejection.
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Keeyan Itejere made his presence felt in a big way as he tied his career-best with five blocks. He also added three swipes and two assists, also career-bests. It was the second time already this season that the Marquette transfer has posted five rejections in a single contest. He is the only Horizon League student-athlete to post five blocks in a game so far this year. Itejere now finds himself 10th in the nation with 25 blocks through NKU's first 11 games played.
- NKU held a large edge in bench points (29 to 2), points in the paint (48 to 26) and field goal percentage (.586 to .356).
HOW IT HAPPENED
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GAME HIGHLIGHTS
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