HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky used a pair of runs, one late in the first half and one early in the second to pull away from Illinois State on Sunday evening, as the Norse topped the Redbirds 79-64 in non-conference action.
How it Happened
Illinois State started strong, using three baskets from Rey Idowu to lead 6-2, and the lead reached 13-9 on a 5-0 run by Zach Copeland with 13:25 to play in the first half. The margin stood at one point with 3:52 to play in the opening half before NKU ran off an 11-3 run to push ahead by nine before Keith Fisher III converted a tip-dunk to send the Redbirds into the locker room with a seven-point, 43-36 deficit.
The margin fluctuated between five and eight points for the first three minutes of the second half, and the Redbird deficit sat at five points at 48-43 with 17:53 to play before the hosts ran off 13 consecutive points over a four minute span to push the lead to 18 and the Norse lead never dipped into single digits for the remainder of the game.
Key Moment
With Illinois State cutting the NKU deficit to five with 17:53 to play in the first half, the hosts ran off 13 straight points to put the game out of reach for the remainder of the contest.
Inside the Box Score
- Idowu scored a career-high 14 points, making 6-of-7 of his shots from the field and both of his free throw tries. He also pulled down four rebounds and dished out an assist.
- Copeland scored 13 points for ISU, making 5-of-10 of his attempts, and 2-of-5 from long range.
- In all, 10 Redbirds saw the scoring column in the loss.
- Fisher III pulled down a team-high six rebounds while dishing out three assists.
- DJ Horne dished out a career-high four assists while tying a career-high with five rebounds.
- Dedric Boyd scored eight points off of the bench, as he made 2-of-4 shots from long range.
- The Redbird bench scored 27 points for ISU, and Illinois State out-rebounded NKU 31-to-29 in the game.
Stat of the Game
NKU made 28-of-53 shots from the field in the win, including making 11 three-point shots, tied for the most made against Illinois State this season.
What's Next
ISU returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 18 when the squad hosts the UIC Flames in a 6 p.m. tip-off at Redbird Arena.
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