FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Northern Kentucky men's basketball has now won three straight, as the Norse came out on top Thursday night in a back-and-forth battle with Purdue Fort Wayne.
The game featured 28 lead changes and was tied eight times. NKU held the lead for the final 6:32 to win its third straight game and get back to .500.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky - 79, Purdue Fort Wayne - 74
LOCATION: Memorial Coliseum (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 15-15 (10-9 Horizon) | PFW: 19-11 (12-7 Horizon)
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- Trey Robinson led all scorers on the night, dropping 25 points on 10-17 shooting. Robinson got it done on the defensive end as well, blocking a pair of shots and registering three steals.
- Dan Gherezgher finished with 22 points with three assists and a pair of boards. Gherezgher was key to holding PFW at arm's length down the stretch, scoring 10 points in the final 6:28 of play.
- Perhaps the star of the night for the Norse, LJ Wells provided big minutes off the bench, posting his second double-double of the season. Wells dominated down low, scoring 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds — tying his season-high. Wells finished 8-11 from the field.
- Despite foul trouble, Keeyan Itejere scored four points and grabbed five boards.
- Sam Vinson scored just two points, but grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four assists, blocked two shots and came up with a steal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a back and forth first half, NKU trailed PFW at the break 37-36. Trey Robinson led NKU in the first 20 with 12 first half points.
- The second half was extremely tough for both sides, as the final 20 minutes featured 11 of the game's 28 lead changes.
- An and-one from Dan Gherezgher at the 6:28 mark gave NKU the lead, and the Norse held on with clutch defense and timely buckets for a third straight win and a season sweep of the Mastadons.
UP NEXT
- It is Senior Day in Highland Heights, as the Norse take on Youngstown State in Truist Arena on Saturday at 1 PM.
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.
