HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Northern Kentucky men's basketball opened its home slate at Truist Arena on Thursday night, as the Norse played host to Nicholls. 

NKU battled to the buzzer, but fell on a tough shot at the final horn to the Colonels. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky - 59, Nicholls - 61 
LOCATION: Truist Arena (Highland Heights, KY)
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 0-3 (0-0 Horizon), Nicholls: 2-2 (0-0 Southland) 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Trey Robinson led NKU in scoring with 19, thanks to a huge second half. Robinson took over early in the final 20 minutes, scoring nine in a row at one point as part of his 15 in the second half. Robinson also grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three shots, had four assists and a steal as well. 
• Josh Dilling nailed four triples, scoring 18 points to tie his NKU career-high. Dilling had a pair of steals and three assists as well. 
• Keeyan Itejere finished with nine points and five rebounds, adding three blocks as well. 
• Sam Vinson led NKU in both assists (7) and rebounds (8). 
• NKU's downfall was on the glass, as Nicholls out rebounded the Norse 57-33, with 23 offensive rebounds. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Nicholls controlled the pace of play early on, jumping out to a 12-3 lead. The Colonels led by as many as 19 in the first half, but NKU cut the deficit to 10 by halftime. 
• Trey Robinson got hot in the second half, as NKU battled to take the lead with 8:03 left in the game. The Norse took a five-point lead with five minutes to go. 
• Nicholls tied the game with 34 seconds left, and Byron Ireland hit the game winner with 0.2 seconds left. 

UP NEXT

• Northern Kentucky hosts #17 Cincinnati in the River Rumble at Truist Arena. 

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