College roundup: NKU men use balanced scoring to crush Berea, 112-33; TMC women defeat Thiel

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

At halftime of Wednesday night’s game with visiting Berea College, nine different Northern Kentucky University players had already scored at least five points.

Having rolled to a 53-19 lead at the half, NKU used the final 20 minutes of play to experiment with different lineups as the Norse crushed Berea, 112-33, at BB&T Arena.

Sophomore forward Carson Williams led NKU (5-2) with 18 points. Williams, an Owen County High School graduate, shot 8-for-10 from the field and added five rebounds in just 14 minutes of play. Senior forward Jordan Garnett netted 14 points — including four 3-pointers — as 11 Norse players dented the scoring column in front of a crowd of 2,506.

NKU scored the game’s first 24 points and placed six players in double figures.

“We wanted a certain mindset, a sense of urgency after losing two straight games, especially in rebounding,” NKU head coach John Brannen said. “I didn’t think we were particularly sharp in the first half, but I thought the guys competed hard the entire game.”

Norse guards Tyler Sharpe (15 points) and Tre Cobbs (11 points) each recorded career-high scoring totals off the bench, while teammate Jeff Garrett added 11 points and hauled in eight rebounds. Mason Faulkner dished out a game-high six assists and scored five points. The Norse reserves outscored Berea’s bench by a 55-12 margin.

NKU junior forward Drew McDonald finished with 12 points and six rebounds. McDonald, a Newport Central Catholic graduate, now has 985 career points.

Four NKU players — Sharpe, Lavone Holland II, Jalen Tate and Dantez Walton — each finished with three steals. The Norse forced 29 Berea turnovers and held a whopping 50-5 advantage in points off those miscues.

Torell Carter scored 12 points for Berea, which competes at the NCAA Division III level.

NKU will play host to Morehead State at 7 p.m. Saturday. Morehead State, which plays Alice Lloyd on Thursday, is currently 1-5 this season.

A year ago, McDonald poured in 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead visiting NKU to an 84-79 victory over Morehead State. The Eagles own a 7-2 lead in the all-time series with the Norse.

TMC WOMEN COAST TO WIN: Madison Temple scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Thomas More College women’s basketball team posted a 114-51 victory over visiting Thiel College on Wednesday night.

Thomas More built a 55-15 halftime lead by limiting Thiel to just 6-for-29 (.207) shooting from the field. Temple, a junior guard, notched a double-double in the first half with 16 points and 11 rebounds. She finished the game 9-for-14 from the field with four assists.

Thomas More held Thiel to just three points in the second quarter and finished the game with a whopping 56-8 advantage in points in the paint.

Shelby Rupp and Briana McNutt each scored 12 points for Thomas More, which is 5-1 overall, 2-0 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. Taylor Jolly chipped in 10 points as the Saints extended their winning streak to four, and teammate Kelly Clapper scored nine points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field.

Nikki Kiernan hauled in 11 rebounds for the Saints, who finished with a 49-25 advantage on the glass. Thomas More connected on 55.8 percent of its shots from the field and committed only five turnovers. Thiel dropped to 2-3 overall, 1-1 in the PAC.

Thomas More returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. with a road game at Bethany (W.Va.) College.

NKU WOMEN FALL AT STETSON: Brittney Chambers poured in a game-high 27 points Wednesday night as the Stetson University women’s basketball team defeated NKU, 67-56, at DeLand, Fla. The Hatters led by as many as 16 points and improved to 4-4.

Molly Glick scored 21 points to lead NKU, which dropped to 1-5. The Norse shot 44.2 percent from the field.

TMC MEN VICTORIOUS: Ryne Callahan and Damion King combined for 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as Thomas More’s men posted a 76-53 win over visiting Thiel on Wednesday night. Callahan finished with 16 points, six rebounds and two assists, while King added 13 points, four rebounds and eight assists.

Thomas More is 4-2 overall, 2-0 in the PAC. The Saints made 50 percent of their attempts from the field, including 9-for-22 shooting from 3-point range. Brandon Horne chipped in 11 points for Thomas More, which plays at Bethany (W.Va.) on Saturday.

WKU MEN DEFEAT EKU: Seven players scored in double figures for Western Kentucky on Wednesday night as the Hilltoppers defeated in-state rival Eastern Kentucky, 83-51, in Diddle Arena at Bowling Green.

Lamonte Bearden led WKU (5-2) with 16 points and also dished out six assists, while teammate Taveion Hollingsworth added 14 points and four assists. Darius Thompson chipped in 11 points and a game-high nine assists for the Hilltoppers, who forged a 31-17 halftime lead and never looked back.

Scott High School graduate Jake Ohmer (pictured left) scored 11 points for WKU, which held EKU to 36.8 percent shooting from the field. The Hilltoppers scorched the nets for 56.7 percent from the field, including 10-of-18 shooting from 3-point range.

It marked the first time since 2001 that WKU had seven players score in double figures. The Hilltoppers led by as many as 37 points in the second half. The crowd of 5,532 was the largest in Diddle Arena since Feb. 28, 2015.

Dedric Boyd led EKU (3-4) with 16 points and was the only Colonel to finish in double figures.

Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com