ROCHESTER, Mich. - Northern Kentucky University Norse men's basketball took on Oakland on Wednesday night to open play in the Horizon League Championship. The Norse never trailed in the second half, and staved away a late comeback effort from the Golden Grizzlies to advance to Sunday's second round. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky - 85, Oakland - 84
LOCATION: OU Credit Union O'Rena - Rochester, Mich. 
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 19-13, 10-10 HL | Oakland: 16-16, 12-8 HL

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
– Northern Kentucky shot 47.5% from the field, 32.1% from three, and 18-30 from the free throw line. They held Oakland to just 41.9% from the field, despite the Golden Grizzlies going 13-34 from behind the arc. Oakland shot 9-12 from the line in the game. 
- NKU forced nine Oakland turnovers while recording eight, and outscored the Golden Grizzlies in points off turnovers 11-4. 
- The Norse lost the rebounding battle, 43-40, allowing 15 Oakland offensive rebounds on the night. 
- Donovan Oday led the Norse in scoring with a 19-point night, grabbing four rebounds, dishing out four assists, while recording two steals and a block.
- LJ Wells had 18 points and 11 rebounds, finishing 7-11 from the field with four assists, two blocks, and a steal.
- Kael Robinson had 14 points, four rebounds, and three blocks. 
- Dan Gherezgher finished the night with 17 points, shooting 5-11 with two rebounds and two assists. 
- Tae Dozier had ten points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals in the game. 

UP NEXT
– NKU heads to Indy for the second round of the Horizon League Championships, taking on #5 Green Bay at 3:30 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.