By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
Just like last season, Northern Kentucky University is off to a 5-0 start after posting a 59-53 victory over Manhattan in the KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic on Saturday night.
Unlike a year ago, when the Norse dropped a 66-64 neutral-court decision to Vermont in their sixth game, NKU is at home in BB&T Arena with a chance to start 6-0 Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. against Coastal Carolina.
NKU’s Dantez Walton drives past Manhattan defender Christian Hinckson (12) on Saturday night. Walton scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Drew McDonald scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead NKU past a physical Manhattan team, while Dantez Walton chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds. The Norse shot a torrid 62.5 percent from the field in the second half, built a 17-point lead and then held off a furious Manhattan rally to remain unbeaten.
This after the Norse made just 28.6 percent of their shots before halftime.
“I think it’s a matter of the law of averages, our shots were going to fall,” McDonald said of the second half. “We stuck with it, stayed mentally locked in on defense, which is our identity.”
NKU, in fact, held Manhattan to 24 percent from the field in the first half and just 34.6 percent for the game. The Norse blocked eight shots, with four rejections by 7-foot sophomore center Chris Vogt. McDonald and Walton each blocked a pair of shots.
Against a physical Manhattan zone defense, NKU buried seven 3-pointers in the second half to pull away. Tyler Sharpe drained a trio of 3-pointers after intermission to key the Norse long-range attack that eventually forged a 56-39 lead with less than seven minutes remaining.
Manhattan, however, responded with a 12-0 run to cut the NKU lead to 56-51. The Norse then toughened up on defense and held Manhattan to one field goal in the final three minutes to escape with the victory.
“We put a game plan together knowing these guys were going to be very active in their zone,” Walton said of the rugged Manhattan defense. “Every time we caught the ball, they were there on the catch. We knew we had to be strong with the ball because of their pressure.”
Walton made four 3-pointers in five attempts Saturday night and is now 13-for-26 from beyond the arc this season. A year ago, he shot just 20.6 percent (14-for-68) from 3-point range.
“I struggled with it last year, but I spent the summer in the gym working on my shot, and I just have the confidence back, like I did when I was in high school,” Walton said.
NKU’s Chris Vogt throws down a dunk against Manhattan, but the basket was nullified because of an offensive foul on the pass. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
“He really worked on it, put a lot of focus on it in the spring and made some adjustments,” Brannen said of Walton. “It’s the law of averages. He’s a really good shooter, always has been, and I recruited him as one.”
In addition to his four blocks, Vogt finished with seven points and eight rebounds. Jalen Tate added six rebounds and four assists for NKU, which shot 43.2 percent from the field and was 17-for-32 at the foul line.
Warren Williams led Manhattan (1-3) with 12 points and seven rebounds. The Jaspers won the rebounding battle by a 35-32 margin and were 6-for-18 from 3-point range.
“They are a hard team to prep for when you have less than one day,” Brannen said of Manhattan’s zone defense and style of play. “It was like a conference game in January.”
NKU concludes the three-day event Sunday at 6:30 p.m. against Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers are 3-2 after posting a 78-52 win over UNC Asheville in the opening game Saturday.
“We have an opportunity to finish this event 3-0 and we’ll come out ready to play tomorrow,” Brannen said.
Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport
