HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball program punched its ticket to the semifinal round of the Barbasol Horizon League Tournament in Indianapolis after cruising a wire-to-wire lead to an 81-74 victory Thursday night at Truist Arena.

With five players scoring in double figures, led by 22 points from Marques Warrick, the win secured the Norse's fifth consecutive trip to the Horizon League Tournament semifinals, where the program holds a 4-1 all-time record.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 81, Oakland – 74
LOCATION: Truist Arena – Highland Heights, Kentucky
RECORDS: NKU 20-12 (15-6 HL), OAK 13-19 (11-10 HL)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Marques Warrick led the Norse in points with a strong 22-point performance, the 14th 20-point game this season. Warrick was an impressive 5-7 from behind the arc and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line.
- Chris Brandon notched his seventh double-double of the season, tallying 13 points and a team-leading 13 rebounds.
- Sam Vinson got it done on both ends of the court, scoring 12 points and efforting three steals en route to the Norse forcing seven turnovers.
- Trey Robinson and Trevon Faulkner totaled 11 and 12 points, respectively.
- This was the second time the Norse lit up the scoreboard to the tune of at least 80 points against a Horizon League opponent this season. NKU scored 86 against IUPUI on Feb. 12 for the highest point total against a conference opponent.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Norse came out on fire to start the game, getting out to an early 8-2 lead in the first three minutes behind a strong stretch for Warrick. Warrick ended the first half with 14 points.
- A Faulkner three-point basket extended the first half Norse lead to 11, the biggest lead of the first half. The Norse were 9-17 from behind the arc in the first half.
- Oakland attempted to mount a comeback in the second half, closing the gap to as close as three points. Golden Grizzlies guard Jalen Moore's 21 points led Oakland in scoring.
- The Norse hit shots when it mattered most in the closing minutes and seconds, ending the game 18-27 from the free throw line.

HIGHLIGHTS

POST GAME PRESSER – DARRIN HORN

POST GAME PRESSER - WARRICK, FAULKNER + VINSON


NEXT UP
The Norse will head to Indianapolis on Monday, March 6, to take on No. 1 seed Youngstown State in the Barbasol Horizon League semifinals at 7 PM ET inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU and can be heard anywhere in the country on Fox Sports 1360. Tickets for the Horizon League clash can also be purchased here.


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.