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NKU Norse Top the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons to Reach the Horizon League Final

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Basketball

Northern Kentucky is back in the Horizon League Championship.
 
The Norse punched their ticket to Tuesday's 7 p.m. title game by virtue of a 57-43 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne in Monday's conference tournament semifinal at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The third-seeded Norse held second-seeded PFW to 29% shooting and led by as many as 21 points.

NKU next faces fourth-seeded Wright State in the ESPN-televised title game. The winner claims the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Championship hardware and clinches the league's NCAA Tournament automatic bid.
 
The Raiders bounced top-seeded Cleveland State in an 82-67 semifinal earlier Monday night to advance. NKU swept Wright State during the regular season.
 
NKU has won three of the last five Horizon League Championships, most recently in 2020. It defeated UIC for top honors but the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the pandemic. NKU also won in 2019 with a win over Wright State. The Norse defeated Milwaukee for the 2017 conference tourney title in their first year eligible after reclassifying from Division II.

STATS LEADERS

  • Marques Warrick led all scorers with 19 points and added five rebounds and three assists.
  • Bryson Langdon scored nine points with four rebounds, four assists and just one turnover. Trevon Faulkner also scored nine points with five rebounds.
  • Chris Brandon grabbed 14 rebounds. Adrian Nelson added nine boards with seven points.

TURNING POINT

  • Bryson Langdon's 3-pointer just 3:27 into the game started an 11-0 run and the Norse led the rest of the way. By clamping down defensively, the Norse held the Mastodons to a season-low 43 points.

FIRST HALF SUMMARY

  • Sam Vinson, the Horizon League freshman record-holder for steals, started the game with one of his three steals. The Norse racked up more turnovers (3) than field goals (2) in the first 4:34 but the tides soon changed.
  • The Mastodons missed nine consecutive field goal attempts and were denied a point for 6:25. They had three miscues in that stretch.
  • NKU reeled off a 11-0 run within a 14-2 tear.  Bryson Langdon started things off with a 3-pointer, Marques Warrick and Adrian Nelson both scored four points, and the Norse established a lead they did not relinquish. PFW called a timeout with 11:38 left in the half, trailing 14-5.
  • The 'Dons ended their drought at 10:16 with a layup, but NKU continued to stifle them from 3-point range. PFW started 0-for-12 beyond the arc. The Norse also dominated the glass with a 17-9 rebounding edge in the first 12:30 and a 22-12 edge by halftime. Adrian Nelson (seven rebounds) and Chris Brandon (six rebounds) paced NKU.
  • NKU struggled with a drought of its own, going nearly five minutes without a field goal, and the 'Dons pulled within five. Bryson Langdon's layup provided a spark and restored NKU's lead to seven.
  • NKU led at the half, 25-19, fueled in part by Marques Warrick's team-high six points.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

  • NKU's defense continued to stymy the 'Dons in the second half. Although Damian Chong Qui ended his team's string of misfires from 3-point range, burying a corner triple at the 17:57 mark, the Norse outscored PFW 6-3 for a 31-22 edge at the first media timeout.
  • The Norse stretched their lead to 16 points behind 63.6% second-half shooting while holding PFW to 30%.
  • A spate of miscues slowed the Norse in another scoreless stretch, this time for 3:52, and PFW pulled within 12 points with 7:42 to play. Trey Robinson answered with a putback, and then supplied an assist on an Adrian Nelson layup, for a 46-30 Norse advantage.
  • NKU cruised to an 18-point lead on a Bryson Langdon layup with 3:48 to go. Marques Warrick delivered a 3-pointer for the Norse's biggest lead of the night (21 points) with 1:32 remaining.
  • NKU held PFW to 26.9% second-half shooting and denied the 'Dons a program-record 11th straight win.

 
GAME NOTES

  • The Norse won the rebounding battle 46-29 and scored eight second-chance points.
  • NKU has now won 14 of its last 16 games including five straight. In those 14 wins, it has held opponents to an average 59.9 points per game.
  • NKU scored 19 fast-break points.

UP NEXT
Northern Kentucky faces Wright State in the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship title game at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.