RICHMOND, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball program posted its strongest game so far this season as the Norse cruised to a big 85-75 win over in-state rival Eastern Kentucky in a non-conference game inside Baptist Health Arena on Sunday afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 85, Eastern Kentucky – 75
LOCATION: Baptist Health Arena – Richmond, Kentucky
RECORDS: NKU 7-5 (2-0 HL), EKU 4-6 (0-0 ASUN)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Five Norse hit double figures in the win, the first time that the feat has been accomplished so far this year. The last time NKU had five student-athletes in double figures is back in a victory over Robert Morris on January 23, 2021.
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Sam Vinson led the way with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
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Jeramiah Israel stepped up in a big way once again as he dropped in 15 points to go with five boards and a helper in just 15 minutes of play. It was his third double-digit game of the season and his second straight contest overall with 10-plus points.
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Trey Robinson continued his hot run of late with a 14-point, eight-rebound performance. He also added a game-best three steals. Over his last three games, Robinson has averaged 16.3 points, eight rebounds, 1.6 steals and one assist.
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Marques Warrick and
Keeyan Itejere both chipped in 12 points apiece, respectively. Warrick posted three assists, one board and a swipe while Itejere had three helpers, two rebounds and a steal.
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Michael Bradley had a stellar game running the point as he went for nine points, a game-high seven assists, three boards and a swipe. In 31 minutes of action, he did not turn the ball over a single time.
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Cade Meyer (four points, three rebounds and one block) and
LJ Wells (two points and one steal) also contributed for NKU.
- Northern Kentucky finished with 40 points in the paint, 28 bench points and 12 fast break points.
- NKU hit at a 51.7 percent clip from the field (30-of-58) and 50 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-16).
- Northern Kentucky has gone for 85-plus points in back-to-back contests, the first time that has happened since the squad went for 96 and 86 points in back-to-back games on November 17 and November 20, 2019.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Eastern Kentucky jumped out to a 11-6 lead at the first media timeout.
- It was all NKU from that point on as the Norse won the final 16 minutes of the first by a 33-16 margin to take a 39-27 lead at the half.
- The opening 20 minutes featured a 15-2 run (from 15:12 to 9:09) and a 10-0 run (from 5:19 to 3:40) from the Norse.
- Northern Kentucky took a 14-point lead with 14:41 left in the second half, and despite a strong-willed Eastern Kentucky team, was able to overcome a couple Colonels runs to close out the 10-point victory over their in-state rivals.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
POST GAME PRESSER
SOCIAL SCENE
NEXT UP
The Norse hit the road for a cross-country trip to Saint Mary's on Thursday, December 21. Tip is set for 10 PM ET at the University Credit Union Pavilion. Fans and supporters will be able to
watch the game nationwide on ESPN+ and
hear the contest anywhere in the country on ESPN 1530.
FOLLOW NKU NORSE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA Division I college basketball team through
@NKUNorseMBB on Twitter,
@nkunorsembb on Instagram,
nkunorsembb on Facebook and
subscribe to the NKU Norse Youtube channel.
