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Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball Rallies From 19 Down To Beat Oakland, 87-78

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Basketball

Northern Kentucky rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit to beat Horizon League leader Oakland 87-78 in overtime Friday in another thriller at BB&T Arena.

The Norse defeated the conference's top team a second time in as many games after upending Cleveland State Jan. 30.

The Norse (12-9, 8-4 Horizon League) now have won six straight games and seven of their last eight. In addition to snapping Oakland's three-game winning streak, NKU dealt the Golden Grizzlies (16-6, 9-2) a second conference loss.

STATS LEADERS

  • Trevon Faulkner scored 26 points on a night he went 12-of-13 from the free-throw line. He added a season-high nine rebounds with three assists and two steals.
  • Sam Vinson chipped in 20 points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds.
  • Chris Brandon earned his first NKU double-double with 15 points, a season high, and 13 rebounds.
  • Bryson Langdon had seven assists and only one turnover with three steals. He scored four points and retrieved a career-high-tying seven rebounds.  

TURNING POINT

  • Trevon Faulkner and Chris Brandon combined for five straight points at the start of overtime and NKU maintained the lead for the win. The Norse outscored Oakland 17-8 in the extra period and ended overtime on a 7-0 run.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

  • The Norse scored six of their first eight points from 3-point range against the Horizon League's leading perimeter defense.
  • Oakland guard Jalen Moore buried two deep 3-pointers and the Golden Grizzlies mounted an 11-2 tear for a 19-12 lead. The visitors went 5-of-8 (62.5%) beyond the arc in the first 8:31.
  • Oakland's run ballooned to 18-4. The Golden Grizzlies surged ahead by nine before Adrian Nelson delivered an offensive rebound and stickback. Nelson had three of NKU's first eight boards.
  • The Golden Grizzlies scored 12 points off turnovers and held the Norse to 2-for-14 shooting (14.3%) from 3-point range. Jamal Cain (10 points, seven rebounds) and Jalen Moore (10 points) propelled Oakland to a 14-point lead with 27 seconds left in the half.
  • After Chris Brandon's last-second stickback, NKU trailed 38-26 at halftime.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

  • The Norse outscored the Golden Grizzlies 15-4 to start the half. Trevon Faulkner delivered the first five points and Sam Vinson added a jumper for seven straight points in a furious comeback bid.  
  • Chris Brandon's steal led to a Sam Vinson 3-pointer. That launched an 8-0 run that included a Brandon runout and another Vinson trey. NKU pulled within one point, 42-41, with 13:19 left.
  • NKU twice led by seven points in the final 3:20 but, in a game featuring six ties and four lead changes, Oakland was never far away. Micah Parrish's three free throws with 25.5 seconds remaining made it a one-point game.
  • Trevon Faulkner procured a key defensive rebound, was fouled, and buried two free throws with 5.1 seconds left. Jalen Moore's buzzer-beating 3 sent the game to OT.

OVERTIME

  • Trevon Faulkner hit a 3-pointer and Chris Brandon converted a layup for a 5-0 start. NKU jumped ahead 77-73 on Bryson Langdon's free throws after Oakland scoring leader Micah Parrish (20 points) fouled out with 1:45 to go.
  • The Norse held an 83-78 edge with eight seconds left. Oakland was called for a double-technical and Trevon Faulkner scored the last four points from the stripe. 

GAME NOTES

  • The Norse out-rebounded Oakland 39-37 and outscored the Golden Grizzlies 26-4 in fast-break points. The Norse finished with 14 steals.
  • NKU is now 2-2 in overtime games this season.
  • Adrian Nelson had five rebounds and improved his career tally to 658. He's eight rebounds from tying Chris Wall for No. 8 on NKU's All-Time Rebounding List.

UP NEXT
Northern Kentucky wraps up a five-game home stand with Detroit Mercy at 7 p.m. Saturday at BB&T Arena.