NORMAL, Ill. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team took Illinois State to the final whistle in a non-conference clash inside CEFCU Arena on Wednesday night. In the end, the Norse had a few final chances, but found themselves on the wrong side of a 62-59 decision to the Redbirds.
 
The loss snapped NKU's four-game winning streak. The Norse are still a perfect 4-0 at the friendly confines of Truist Arena and 2-0 in Horizon League play.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 59, Illinois State – 62
LOCATION: CEFCU Arena – Normal, Illinois
RECORDS: NKU 5-4 (2-0 HL), ISU 6-3 (2-0 MVC)
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Marques Warrick paced the Norse with 15 points to go along with three rebounds, one assist and a steal.
- Cade Meyer was next in line with 10 points and three boards. All 10 of his points came in the second half.
- Michael Bradley chipped in eight points, four assists, one board and a swipe. He shot 3-of-5 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Bradley also had just one turnover in 30 minutes of action.
- Trey Robinson added seven points, five rebounds, one helper, and a game-best four steals.
- Sam Vinson posted a team-best eight rebounds and five assists along with five points and three steals.
- The Norse forced 14 Redbird turnovers and posted 12 steals.
- It was an exciting night of basketball as the game featured 19 lead changes and 10 times the contest was tied.
- NKU had another big night in the paint with 28 points close to the basket.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Illinois State took a slight 30-26 edge into the half. Neither the Norse nor Redbirds took a lead larger than six points in the opening 20 minutes.
- The contest was tied at 10-10 (14:33 left in the first), 12-12 (13:12), 15-15 (11:14), and 19-19 (6:21). Illinois State ended the first on a 11-7 run over the final 6:21 to head into the locker room with a slight advantage.
- NKU jumped out to a 48-41 lead with 11:29 left in the game.
- Illinois State went on a 9-2 run to tie things at 50-50 with 7:48 left.
- The strong run continued as the Redbirds pushed it to 55-50 with 6:47 remaining.
- It was time for NKU to fight back as a Robinson three made it 55-55 with just 4:37 left to go.
- Illinois State then hit a two-point jumper but the Norse responded right back with a Meyer layup to tie things again at 57-57 with 2:52 on the clock.
- The Redbirds won the final three minutes with a 5-2 edge, as the Norse's final chances fell short.
- Northern Kentucky won the second half by a score of 33-32, but Illinois State was able to escape with the 62-59 victory.
 
POST GAME PRESSER
 

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