By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
Since Thanksgiving is still three days away, the hoops menu inside BB&T Arena on Monday night featured a bird other than turkey. The main course instead consisted of Eagles.
Hungry for a victory, Northern Kentucky feasted on the Eagles of Midway (Ky.) by an 86-56 score before a crowd of 2,478. All 12 NKU players who saw action scored, led by Karl Harris with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Less than 48 hours after watching his team drop a 98-96 double-overtime decision to Texas Southern, NKU head coach Darrin Horn hoped to see improvement in several areas on Monday — particularly in grabbing loose balls and rebounds.
NKU defenders Trevon Faulkner (12) and Bryson Langdon (right) trap Midway’s Kaleb Britt during the first half of Monday night’s game at BB&T Arena. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
“I think great evidence of that is Silas Adheke getting on the floor for a loose ball with five or six minutes left on the clock. And we were up 30 (points). That’s the way we want to play. And, honestly, that’s the way we need to play to be our best. So I think there are some things that were really good to see in a game like this.”
Sophomore guard Bryson Langdon scored 17 points, including 15 in the first half when the Norse cruised to a 46-23 lead. Langdon finished shooting 7-for-9 from the field and drained a trio of 3-pointers. He also added five assists and five steals.
“He continues to get better,” Horn said of Langdon. “He’s a guy who’s adjusting to the game and the way we want to play at this level. But I thought he did a really good job of playing under control tonight and making good decisions as well.”
Junior guard Adham Eleeda added a career-best 12 points for NKU, which improved to 5-2. Adheke — who knocked over a pair of courtside seats while hustling after a loose ball in the second half — finished with nine points and six rebounds. Tre Cobbs scored eight points for the Norse, who finished with a whopping 56-16 advantage in bench points.
Harris, who collected his first career double-double, said NKU needed to focus on improvement after the gut-wrenching loss to Texas Southern.
NKU’s David Wassler (44) scores a basket over Midway defender Ridge Hall. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
NKU’s top three scorers — Dantez Walton, Tyler Sharpe and Trevon Faulkner — saw limited action as the game became a blowout and allowed Horn to utilize his entire bench. The biggest cheer of the evening came with less than a minute remaining, when 6-foot-10 reserve center David Wassler converted a short jumper to extend the Norse lead to 86-54.
Kwon Evans scored 18 points to lead Midway, which competes in the NAIA. Former Newport High School standout Donnie Miller netted nine points and grabbed six rebounds for the Eagles, who were just 2-for-15 from 3-point range.
NKU hits the road for a Saturday showdown with Arkansas at 5 p.m. The Razorbacks are 6-0 after defeating Georgia Tech 62-61 in overtime on Monday. Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between NKU and Arkansas, which is a member of the Southeastern Conference.
The Norse have already faced SEC opponent Missouri this season, dropping a 71-56 decision to the Tigers on Nov. 8 at Columbia, Mo. NKU is 0-4 all-time against SEC foes, with losses to Kentucky (twice), Texas A&M and Missouri.
NKU will also visit Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 86, MIDWAY 56
MIDWAY (56)
Evans 9-18 0-3 18, Lujan 5-9 0-0 10, Britt 3-7 0-1 6, Gammage 1-4 0-0 2, Thorburg 2-4 0-0 5, Miller 2-5 4-6 9, Sims 0-0 0-1 0, Travis 1-6 0-0 2, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0, Hall 1-2 0-0 2, Hensley 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 25-58 4-11 56.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY (86)
Sharpe 0-0 1-2 1, Adheke 4-5 1-2 9, Walton 1-3 0-0 2, Faulkner 0-1 1-2 1, Langdon 7-9 0-1 17, Eleeda 3-10 4-5 12, Harris 8-12 3-3 21, Nelson 2-3 1-2 5, Djoko 2-4 1-2 5, Mocaby 1-6 0-0 3, Cobbs 3-5 2-4 8, Wassler 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 32-61 14-23 86.
HALFTIME: NKU 46-23. 3-POINTERS: (NKU 8-24, MU 2-15). REBOUNDS: NKU 43 (Harris 10), MU 30 (Miller 6).
RECORDS: NKU 5-2, Midway 3-6.
NKU’s Bryson Langdon glides past Midway’s Donnie Miller (11) for a layup in the first half. Langdon finished with 17 points, five assists and five steals. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
