NKU rallies in second half to stun Oakland, 87-83, in nationally televised showdown Friday night

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

ROCHESTER, Mich. — In front of a raucous crowd, with a national television audience watching on ESPN2, Northern Kentucky University delivered a scintillating prime-time performance against Oakland on Friday night.

Facing an Oakland team that featured the Horizon League’s top three scorers, NKU made big plays and hit key shots in the second half to knock off the Golden Grizzlies, 87-83, in the Blacktop at the O’rena.

Carson Williams scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds for NKU, which won its third consecutive game and improved to 10-5 overall, 3-0 in the Horizon League. The Norse rallied from a 47-41 deficit at the break with a 16-5 run early in the second half, then held off a late Oakland comeback to disappoint a vocal crowd of 3,411.

“At halftime we talked about how we were not playing to our identity, playing on our heels,” NKU head coach John Brannen said. “We made the mental adjustment, and that was the biggest turning point of the game.”

Drew McDonald and Jordan Garnett both converted two free throws in the final seven seconds to seal the victory for NKU. The Norse shot 52.5 percent from the field and made 76.2 percent from the free-throw line.

Oakland’s high-scoring trio of Kendrick Nunn, Jalen Hayes and Martez Walker combined for 60 points. Nunn finished with 24 points, but only 10 in the second half. Hayes added 17 points, but 14 of those came in the first half. Walker scored 19 points.

Nunn entered Friday averaging 25.3 points per game, with Hayes netting 20.1 points per contest and Walker at 19.3 ppg.

“They have three guys who can drop 30 on you any night,” Brannen said. “We did a better job defensively with them in the second half. Drew McDonald also causes a lot of matchup problems for other teams, and he really did a great job rebounding.”

Lavone Holland II finished with 19 points and three assists. The senior guard also scored his 1,000th career point with a basket in the second half.

Jeff Garrett came off the bench and sparked NKU with 11 points. McDonald added eight points and 12 rebounds as the Norse dominated the glass and finished with a 38-25 edge on the boards.

“Jeff Garrett and Jalen Tate, we kind of go as they go defensively,” Brannen said. “They give us great length and athleticism, and both played very well.”

Garnett added 10 points for NKU, while Tate chipped in seven points and two blocks. The Norse made 63 percent of their shots from the field in the second half and limited Oakland (9-7, 1-2 Horizon League) to 48 percent shooting after the break.

“We gave up 47 points in the first half, and that’s not our identity defensively,” Brannen said. “We played harder in the second half, but there were no big adjustments that I made in the locker room. We went out and made plays.”

NKU evened the all-time series with Oakland at 9-9 and snapped a three-game losing streak against the Golden Grizzlies. The Norse also won for the first time on the road this season in five games.

NKU finishes the Michigan trip Sunday with a 2 p.m. game at Detroit Mercy.