VERMILLION, S.D. - Following a season-opening win over UTEP on Monday, Northern Kentucky University Norse men's basketball took on South Dakota on Wednesday, looking to improve to 2-0 on the season. Northern Kentucky shot a blistering 62.5% from the field and 64.3% from three, scoring 102 points on the Coyotes and holding on late for an eight-point victory.
The two squads traded baskets for the first five minutes of the contest, but the Norse started to pull ahead on a 9-0 run from 14:19-11:49 in the first half.
Noah Pagotto and
Eric Acker led the Norse in the first, as Pagotto had 16 points while Acker had 15. The Norse led 52-47 at the break, leading for the final 14:19 of the half.
South Dakota cut the Norse lead to one five minutes into the second half, but freshman guard
Willie Foster took over with a 13-4 run on his own, including a massive three-pointer to make it a 75-62 ballgame at the under-12 media timeout. Northern Kentucky led by double digits until the 2:30 mark, as South Dakota clawed their way back into it. The Coyotes got the Norse lead down to as low as four, but Acker, Pagotto, and Foster hit their free throws down the stretch to secure the Norse victory.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky - 102 | South Dakota – 94
LOCATION: Sanford Coyote Sports Center – Vermillion, SD
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 2-0, 0-0 HL | USD: 1-1, 0-0 SL
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
– Northern Kentucky shot 62.5% from the field, 64.3% from three, and 23-32 from the free throw line. The Norse finished 9-14 from distance, and 26-42 on two-pointers. South Dakota shot 53.1% from the field and 36% from three, and the Coyotes went 17-21 at the line.
– The Norse won the rebound battle, 29-26, grabbing eight offensive boards and limiting the Coyotes to 16 defensive rebounds. NKU notched 12 second-chance points on the evening.
– Northern Kentucky recorded 14 turnovers for the second-straight game, but forced 15 Coyote turnovers in the contest. The Norse scored 21 points off those turnovers.
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Noah Pagotto dropped 30 points on 11-15 shooting from the field and 7-11 from the line, while going 1-2 from deep. Pagotto recorded four rebounds and two assists on the night.
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Eric Acker dropped 22 points and 12 assists on the evening, shooting 7-13 from the field, 2-3 from distance, and 6-9 from the line. Acker had just one turnover on the night and also had a steal and a rebound.
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Willie Foster put up 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting, going 3-of-5 from distance and a perfect 5-5 from the line. Foster grabbed a pair of boards, had two steals, and three assists.
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BJ Davis-Ray put up 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting, going 2-for-3 from distance and 3-3 from the line. The sophomore grabbed five rebounds with an assist and a pair of steals.
– Donovan Rakotoananahary had 10 points, six rebounds, and three steals, while shooting a perfect 4-for-4 on the night.
GAME NOTES
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Eric Acker's 12 assists set a new single-game record for Norse in the Division I era, and tied the second-most in Northern Kentucky men's basketball history. He became the first Norse with 12 assists in a game since Scott Bibbins on Dec. 23, 2009. Acker became the first Norse to ever record 20+ points and 10+ assists in a Division I contest. He became the first Horizon League player with 22 points & 12 assists in a game since Purdue Fort Wayne's Jarred Goffery did it on March 2, 2021. It also marked a new career high in assists for Acker.
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Noah Pagotto became the first Norse with 30 points since
Donovan Oday had 33 on January 30, 2026 vs. Detroit Mercy. His 30 points also marked a career high, and he tied his career-high in made field goals with 11.
– Pagotto, Acker, and Foster became the first trio of Norse in the Division I era teammates to all score 22+ points in a single contest.
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BJ Davis-Ray set career highs of 15 points, five field goals, two threes, three free throws, and three assists.
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Donovan Rakotonanahary's ten points marked a career high, and he tied career highs in steals and field goals.
– NKU's 64.3% three-point percentage marked a new Division I single-game record.
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