FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball program started the game strong, but in the end found itself on the wrong side of a 73-60 decision in a battle with Horizon League foe Purdue Fort Wayne inside the Gates Sports Center on Friday night.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 60, Purdue Fort Wayne – 73
LOCATION: Gates Sports Center – Fort Wayne, Indiana
RECORDS: NKU 7-7 (2-1 HL), PFW 12-2 (3-0 HL)
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Marques Warrick was tied for the game-lead with 17 points. He also finished with a season-tying best six boards to go with three assists and a block.
- Michael Bradley was next with 10 points along with a team-best three steals, three rebounds and a block.
- Trey Robinson just missed on his second career double-double as he chipped in nine points, nine boards, a rejection and a swipe.
-  LJ Wells added eight points and seven rebounds.
- Keeyan Itejere (six points, seven rebounds one assist and one steal), Jeramiah Israel (six points, six boards and two assists), Cade Meyer (two points, four rebounds) and Cesar Tchilombo (two points and three rebounds) also contributed for the Norse.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Norse jumped out to a 19-8 lead, its largest of the game, with 9:23 left to play in the opening half.
- Purdue Fort Wayne responded with a 19-7 run over the final nine minutes of the first to take a slight 27-26 edge into the locker room.
- The Mastodons continued to hold a slight 34-33 advantage with 17:03 left in the game. That is when Purdue Fort Wayne turned it on as they ended the contest on a 39-27 run to close out the 73-60 victory.
 
NEXT UP
The Norse return home to the friendly confines of Truist Arena to take on conference rival Youngstown State on Thursday, January 4 at 7 PM ET. With NKU students still gone for the break, Norse Nation is taking over Valhalla as fans and supporters can purchase general admission seating to the contest for just $6!
 
 
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.