LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University Norse men's basketball took on Bellarmine on Saturday afternoon, as NKU looked to build on a 39-point home win against Brescia on Tuesday night. Northern Kentucky pulled ahead late in the first half, leading for the final 27 minutes and leading by as much as 18. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky - 80, Bellarmine - 76
LOCATION: Knights Hall - Louisville, Ky.
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 9-3 | Bellarmine:4-6

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- NKU dominated the turnover battle, forcing 18 while recording just ten. NKU had 23 points off those Bellarmine turnovers, while the Knights had just nine. 
- Both squads shot above 50% from the floor, but NKU struggled from the free throw line in the second half, shooting just 43.75% in the final period.
- LJ Wells tallied 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal on 7-10 shooting.
- Dan Gherezgher went for 17 points on 7-15 shooting, also recording three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. 
- Kael Robinson scored 15 points on 6-9 shooting and 3-4 from downtown. He also had two steals, two boards, and two assists.
- Donovan Oday had 13 points and six rebounds, also recording three steals. 
- Tae Dozier had 12 points on 5-10 shooting with a pair of steals. Dozier crossed the 1,000 career point mark with an early second-half bucket.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Bellarmine took an early advantage, leading by seven just three minutes in. The two sides swapped lead changes for the next six minutes, before the momentum swung the Norse's way thanks to a fastbreak dunk from Dozier. The Norse went on a 7-0 run later in the half and led by six going into the break. 
- NKU came out firing in the second, going on another 7-0 run early in the half. A Robinson three gave NKU a 14-point lead, forcing the Knights to call a timeout. A few minutes later, with the Norse still controlling the game, an LJ Wells three-pointer extended the Norse lead to a game-high 18. From there, the Knights began to chip away at the Norse deficit, bringing it down to single digits with six minutes to go. NKU rallied back and hit some key free throws down the stretch to secure the win.  

GAME NOTES
- Northern Kentucky had five players score 12+ points and record a steal, marking the first time that's happened in a game since the Norse joined Division I. It also marks just the first time that's happened in the Horizon League this season. 
- LJ Wells had his tenth game this season with 10+ points and five+ rebounds, a mark that ranks top-ten in the NCAA and first in the Horizon League. 

UP NEXT
– NKU heads back to Truist Arena, taking on Horizon League rival Oakland on December 17. 

FOLLOW NKU NORSE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA Division I college team through @NKUNorseMBB on Twitter, @nkunorsembb on Instagram, nkunorsembb on Facebook and subscribe to the NKU Norse Youtube channel.