The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team gave up 54 points in the second half on their way to a 92-56 defeat at Saint Mary’s (CA) on Thursday night.
Making their second trip to the West Coast this season, NKU struggled to get stops in the game’s final 20 minutes as the Gaels shot 66% from the field in the second half.
Marques Warrick and Trey Robinson led the Norse with 14 points apiece, Michael Bradley adding 10 points off the bench while Jeremiah Israel chipped in eight in his reserve role. Sam Vinson left the game with an injury and didn’t return after 15 minutes of action.
Saint Mary’s (8-5) dominated in the paint, outscoring NKU 42-16 in points in the paint. The Gaels collected 16 offensive rebounds and won the second chance points battle, 20-8. Saint Mary’s hit at a near 60% clip from deep, knocking down 12-of-21 from the 3-point line.
The Norse battled in the first half, getting within four at 33-29 with 1:14 remaining on a Bradley 3-pointer, the Gaels closing the half with the final five points. Saint Mary’s opened the second half on a 23-8 run and never looked back.
LJ Wells had nine of the 19 rebounds for the Norse in the contest, who closed out their non-conference slate. Now it’s nothing but Horizon League matchups the rest of the way, the Norse currently sitting at 7-6 and 2-0 in the conference on the season. They’ll now prepare for 18 straight conference games, starting on the road with Purdue Fort Wayne on Dec. 29. They’ll return to Truist Arena on Jan. 4 against Youngstown State.
