HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University Norse men's basketball entered Wednesday's conference opener with Cleveland State on a five-game win streak. NKU continued its run of success with a 95-80 win over the Vikings, as forward LJ Wells starred with a dominant showing on all fronts. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky - 95, Cleveland State - 80
LOCATION: Truist Arena - Highland Heights, Ky.
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 7-2, 1-0 HL | Cleveland State: 3-7, 0-1 HL

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
– NKU pounded the paint, scoring 40 points in the area compared to 16 from Cleveland State. 
– The Norse shot a blistering 55.7% from the field, 48.1% from three, and 93.3% from the free throw line. NKU made eight threes in the first half alone. 
– As far as individual performances go, senior forward LJ Wells could not have had a better game. He racked up 21 points on 8-12 shooting, ten rebounds, four blocks, two steals, and two assists.
– Tae Dozier tallied a season-high in points, scoring 17 on 7-12 shooting. He also stuffed the stat sheet with four rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals. 
– Kael Robinson had 17 points on 6-7 shooting from the field, including 3-4 from deep. He also had a season-high four assists in only 19 minutes due to foul trouble. 
– Donovan Oday dropped 17 points on 6-9 shooting with four rebounds and two steals. 
– Dan Gherezgher had eleven points and hit three threes. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
– NKU started on fire, draining three threes out of the gate to take an early nine-nothing lead. From there, NKU led for the entire first half, as NKU drained eight first-half threes, from five different players. The Norse ended the half up 47-33. 
– Cleveland State opened the second half on a massive run, taking a lead five and a half minutes in. However, that was their only lead of the game, as NKU then stormed back with a run of their own, starting with a three from Dan Gherezgher, then a three from Wells, before a fastbreak dunk from Oday had the Norse rolling with an eight-point lead. CSU did bring it back within seven, but some points off turnovers late helped lift the Norse over the Vikings.
 
GAME NOTES
– LJ Wells is just the second player in the country this season to record at least 21 points, ten rebounds, four blocks, two steals, and two assists on 50% shooting or better in a single game (Le Moyne's Shilo Jackson, 11/28).
– The Norse have now won six straight at home to open the season, marking the first time that NKU has done so since the 2018-19 campaign. 

UP NEXT
– NKU hits the road on Saturday, taking on Purdue Fort Wayne for a 2 PM tip in Gates Sports Center.

FOLLOW NKU NORSE MEN'S BASKETBALL
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