By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
Without question, Drew McDonald would’ve enjoyed setting Northern Kentucky University’s all-time record for career rebounds in front of the home crowd at BB&T Arena.
Instead, McDonald will gladly settle for Friday night’s convincing 78-60 victory over visiting Maryland-Baltimore County. He finished with a game-high 21 points and five rebounds as NKU improved to 8-1 in front of a crowd of 3,462 at BB&T Arena.
Drew McDonald goes up for two of his 21 points during NKU’s 78-60 win over UMBC. McDonald also grabbed five rebounds. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
The former Newport Central Catholic star isn’t concerned about individual records, but McDonald is very aware he is nearing the mark.
“It’s hard not to see it with social media, and everyone tweeting it out and people telling you about it,” McDonald said of his chase for the NKU rebounding record. “It’s hard not to know about it. Rebounds weren’t coming my way tonight, but the guards did a great job of getting the boards.”
Dantez Walton added 19 points for NKU, which avenged last season’s 76-75 loss at UMBC. The Norse used a 30-2 run to end the first half, turning a 19-9 deficit into a 39-21 lead at the break. NKU then added six straight points to begin the second half, capping a game-changing 36-2 spurt that overwhelmed the visitors.
Walton netted 12 points in the first half as NKU battled back from a slow start. UMBC built an 11-point advantage (13-2) six minutes into the game, but an acrobatic steal by Tyler Sharpe and his subsequent no-look assist on a pass while saving the ball from going out of bounds ignited the rally.
“I got the deflection and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get it, so I had to save it,” Sharpe said of the highlight-reel play that ended with a Walton fast-break layup and brought the BB&T crowd to its feet. “You just throw it toward your basket, and luckily Dantez and I were on the same page, and he took off running.
“I kind of felt like it was a good pass when I threw it, but I wasn’t sure why everyone started to get loud. I turned my head around and said, “Oh, my gosh, it’s going right to him.’ We were on the same page.”
In addition to the spectacular steal and no-look assist, Sharpe finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three steals. NKU head coach John Brannen also noticed the momentum-changing play by his junior guard.
Dantez Walton scores from close range over the defense of UMBC’s Arkel Lamar during the first half. Walton netted 19 points. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
“We got no 50-50 balls the first five minutes, but I don’t know we didn’t get every single one of them the last 15 minutes. When you’re doing that, you’re probably going to play well.”
NKU shot 54.9 percent from the field and literally ran UMBC out of BB&T Arena by finishing with a 39-15 advantage in fast-break points. Zaynah Robinson and Jalen Tate each added 10 points for the Norse, who led by as many as 30 points before coasting to the win. Robinson also collected four steals and dished out six assists, while Walton grabbed five rebounds, added four assists and two blocked shots.
Walton shot 9-for-13 from the field, with all his misses coming from 3-point range (1-for-5). “Coach pulled me aside and said, ‘You can make layups as well.’ I just took that little advice and started becoming more active in the lane,” Walton said.
Joe Sherburne scored 18 points to lead UMBC (4-4), which dropped its third straight game. The Retrievers shot 34 percent from the field and were just 3-for-23 from 3-point range.
NKU also held a 21-6 edge in assists and shot 9-for-25 from 3-point range. The Norse also finished with a 38-24 advantage in points in the paint.
NKU will make the short trip across the Ohio River on Tuesday night to meet Cincinnati at 7 p.m.
