CLEVELAND – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball program played Cleveland State to an instant overtime classic, but in the end the Norse found themselves on the wrong side of an 88-85 decision to Cleveland State in a Horizon League clash inside the Wolstein Center on Sunday.
THE FACTS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 85, Cleveland State – 88 (OT)
LOCATION: Wolstein Center – Cleveland, Ohio
RECORDS: NKU: 8-8 (3-2 HL), CSU: 11-6 (4-2 HL)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Marques Warrick went off for a season-best 30 points to go with four assists and two rebounds. He also posted a perfect 13-of-13 mark from the charity stripe.
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Michael Bradley added a season-high 15 points to go along with four helpers and two boards. He shot 6-of-8 from the field, which included a mark of 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
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Keeyan Itejere posted his second straight standout game with 14 points and eight rebounds. He also finished with a team-best two blocks. It was his second straight game with double-digit points (and sixth overall on the year) to go with his ninth contest of the season with two or more rejections.
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Trey Robinson just missed out on a double-double with 11 points and nine boards. He also recorded two assists, two swipes and a block.
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LJ Wells added seven points and tied with Robinson for the team-lead with nine rebounds.
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Jeramiah Israel posted five points in limited time. He went 2-of-4 from the field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Defense stood out in the first half as neither side could get much going. Cleveland State held a slight 30-24 lead after 20 minutes.
- The Vikings started off the second half strong and jumped out to a 48-37 lead with 13:38 left in the game.
- That is when the Norse answered back and went on an 18-7 run to tie the game at 55-55 with 6:39 left.
- The two sides continued to trade baskets as Cleveland State took a slight edge at 65-60 with 3:25 remaining and another five-point lead at 68-65 with 2:12 left.
- There was no quit in the Norse as the Vikings were still ahead 70-67 with just 52 seconds on the clock.
- Itejere hit two free throws to make it a one-point game at 70-69. After two Cleveland State free throws in response to make it 72-69 with 16 seconds left, Bradley drove for a quick basket to make it a 72-71 game with just 10 seconds left.
- After two successful field goals, Warrick added another shot to his career highlight reel as he banked in a three to tie the game at 74-74 at the buzzer.
- It was a tightly contested overtime, which Cleveland State won 14-11 to escaped with the victory.
POST GAME PRESSER
NEXT UP
The Norse remain on the road for a showdown with conference foe Oakland on Wednesday, January 10. Tip is set for 7 PM ET inside the OU Credit Union O'rena. The contest can be
seen anywhere in the nation on ESPN+ and can be
heard across 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,
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subscribe to the NKU Norse Youtube channel.
