-
84
Winner Northern Ky. NKU 1-0,0-0 Horizon
76
UTEP UTEP 0-1,0-0 Mountain West
Winner
Northern Ky. NKU
1-0,0-0 Horizon
84
Final
76
UTEP UTEP
0-1,0-0 Mountain West
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northern Ky. NKU 42 42 84
UTEP UTEP 38 38 76

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Foster stars as Norse take down UTEP in season opener

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Northern Kentucky University Norse men's basketball opened the 2026-27 campaign on Monday afternoon, taking on UTEP in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.

Northern Kentucky started strong, taking a 7-5 lead on a Willie Foster three-pointer two minutes in, and held that lead for almost ten minutes. The Norse and Miners traded blows down the stretch of the first half, taking a late lead on four straight Will Shortt free throws, and an Eric Acker jumper to end the half saw the Norse lead 42-38 at the break. Foster and Acker ended the first half with double-digit points, while Noah Pagotto scored eight points and grabbed eight boards.

NKU started strong in the second period, as the Norse lead grew to as much as ten seven minutes into the half. UTEP made their way back in the game as the Norse went scoreless for a little over three minutes, but the Norse battled back on two pairs of free throws and a Pagotto tip-in to push the lead to six. After an ugly few minutes, Norse sophomore Ryan Tolliver drilled a three-pointer to give NKU a 72-66 lead into the under-four media timeout. The Norse controlled the game down the stretch, and a late alley-oop from Acker to Tolliver put the icing on the cake as NKU left with a 84-76 victory. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky - 84 | UTEP - 76
LOCATION: Sanford Pentagon – Sioux Falls, SD
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 1-0, 0-0 HL | UTEP: 0-1, 0-0 MW

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
– Northern Kentucky shot 50% from the field, going 25-50 including 21-29 on two-pointers, but struggled from three as the Norse went just 4-21 from deep. They held UTEP to a 38.6% mark from the floor, as the Miners went 27-70 on field goal attempts in the contest. Northern Kentucky had a near perfect night at the charity stripe, shooting 30-33 on free throws, going ten for ten in the opening period. 
– NKU won the rebound battle 39-33, as NKU grabbed 32 defensive rebounds in the contest. While UTEP had 14 offensive boards, they scored just ten points on second opportunities. 
– Northern Kentucky lost the turnover battle 14-7, but recorded just five second-half turnovers. 
– The Norse led the contest for over 33 minutes, despite 12 lead changes in the game. 
– Freshman guard Willie Foster looked like a veteran in his debut, scoring 24 points and grabbing ten rebounds, with an assist, a steal, and a block. The Lima, Ohio native finished 7-13 from the field and 9-10 from the stripe. 
– Noah Pagotto also recorded a double-double, going for 19 points and 12 rebounds on 5-6 shooting. Pagotto went 9-11 from the free throw line. 
– Eric Acker dropped 16 points on 6-12 shooting, dishing out five assists and finishing the game with a game-high +12 plus-minus. 
– B.J. Davis-Ray scored nine points and grabbed a pair of rebounds.
– Ryan Tolliver finished with five points and four rebounds. 

GAME NOTES
– Willie Foster's 24 points tied the single-game high for Norse in a debut in the Division I era, and his ten rebounds marked the most ever by a Norse freshman in their debut contest. His 24 points tied the fifth-most in a single contest by any Northern Kentucky freshman since 2012.
– Noah Pagotto's 12 rebounds marked the most in a single Northern Kentucky debut since the Norse joined Division I. 
– Foster and Pagotto became just sixth pair of Norse teammates to record a double-double in the same game since joining Division I, and the first since Sam Vinson and LJ Wells did it on December 29, 2024 vs. Robert Morris. They became just the third pair to record at least nine made free throws in a contest, and the first since Drew McDonald and Tyler Sharpe did it on February 21, 2019. 
– Northern Kentucky earned their second-straight season-opening victory, and moved to 5-3 in season openers in the Darrin Horn era. 
– The Norse earned a victory in their first contest against a Mountain West opponent. 
– NKU's 30 made free throws marked the most in a game by the Norse since the Norse made 34 in a win over James Madison on November 11, 2017. It stands as the fourth-most in a game in NKU's Division I history, and the most in a game in the Darrin Horn era. 
– NKU's 90.9% free throw percentage marked the best in a game since December 6, 2025, when the Norse shot 94.4% from the stripe in a loss to Purdue Fort Wayne. 

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. 
 
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