Courtesy of NKUNorse.com
DETROIT – Cole Murray issued a 7-of-10 performance from three on Friday as the Norse outlasted Detroit in a 91-83 victory at Calihan Hall.
With the win, NKU improves to 8-12 overall and 4-5 in the Horizon League while Detroit dips to 9-11 and 3-6 in the League.
Murray led NKU with 25 points, just one shy of his career-high, after going 9-for-14 overall. The junior helped the Norse shoot 47.4 percent from the field on the night.
Three other Norse posted double figures as Drew McDonald posted 17 points after going 13-of-14 from the charity stripe, including 5-of-6 throughout the last minute of play to seal the win.
Tyler White and Jalen Billups registered 14 points each. Lavone Holland II picked up nine boards and delivered 6 assists to go along with seven points.
Late in the second half, Murray exploded for three triples in a three minute span as the Norse took off on a 15-6 run to lead 84-78 at the 3:26 mark.
NKU increased its lead to 88-82 with one minute to play and closed out the victory from the free throw line.
The Norse trailed by one at the half, 44-45, despite shooting 50 percent (11-of-22) in the opening period.
The teams traded buckets to open the contest as neither team led by more than six throughout the first 20 minutes. A pair of triples from Murray and White put the Norse ahead 23-19 at the midway point of the half, but the Titans reclaimed their lead at 34-28 with just over five minutes to play.
Deontae Cole launched Northern Kentucky’s sixth triple of the half and handed the Norse a 39-37 edge at the 2:34 mark. The NKU lead stuck until the final second when the Titans’ Josh McFolley connected on a long ball for the halftime edge.
Upon returning to the court, the Titans jumped ahead by six but the Norse countered with a pair of 6-0 runs to lead 60-59 with 12 minutes to go before Murray sparked NKU’s game-changing run.
The contest concluded NKU’s first round through the Horizon League as the Norse are slated to take on Oakland at home on Monday, Feb 1. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at BB&T Arena.
NORSE NOTES:
- McDonald has reached double-figures in eight of the last 11 games and is now averaging 12.2 points in League action.
- Across the last three games, Murray has gone 14-of-18 from three-point range for a 77.8 shooting percentage from behind the arc.
- NKU has now averaged 90.5 points in two games played in the Motor City.
- The Norse shot 86.7 percent from the line on Friday as they sank a season-high 26 free throws on 30 attempts.
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