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Norse survive late Penguin rally for 61-59 win; NKU, Wright State meet for top seed in Horizon League


NKyTribune staff

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Thanks to a stellar defensive performance against Youngstown State scoring dynamo Darius Quisenberry, Northern Kentucky is in position to win a share of the Horizon League regular-season championship.

NKU limited Quisenberry to nine points on 2-for-13 shooting from the field and survived a last-second attempt to pull out a 61-59 win at the Beeghly Center on Saturday. The Norse upped their overall record to 21-8 and clinched an automatic bye into the Horizon League Tournament semifinals on March 9 with a 13-4 mark.

NKU plays host to Wright State (24-6 overall, 14-3 Horizon League) at 7 p.m. Friday night, and the winner of that game will earn the No. 1 seed in the upcoming postseason event.

Paul Djoko

Dantez Walton led NKU with 20 points against Youngstown State, while teammate Jalen Tate netted 18 points. The Norse held the Penguins to 22 percent shooting from the field in the first half and owned a 34-20 lead at intermission.

Youngstown State (16-13, 9-7 Horizon League) rallied from a 16-point deficit to slice the NKU lead to 61-59 with 37 seconds remaining on a pair of free throws by Garrett Covington. The Penguins regained possession with 10 seconds remaining, but NKU defenders Bryson Langdon and Paul Djoko forced Quisenberry into a tightly contested 3-pointer that was off-target as the buzzer sounded.

Quisenberry, who scorched the nets for 41 points during an 88-70 win over Wright State on Thursday night, was held to 1-for-7 shooting from 3-point range by NKU.

Tyler Sharpe added 12 points for NKU, which finished with a 34-14 scoring advantage in the paint. Trevon Faulkner hauled in eight rebounds to lead the Norse, and Adrian Nelson hauled in six boards. Djoko came off the bench and chipped in three points, two rebounds and an assist in 12 minutes.

Tate collected three steals and a pair of blocks as NKU held the Penguins to 32.8 percent shooting in front of a Senior Day crowd of 4,213.

Walton, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, has now scored 964 career points at NKU. He leads the Norse in scoring at 16.4 points per game.

NKU has defeated Youngstown State seven consecutive times and owns an 11-9 lead in the all-time series. The Norse are 10-0 this season when holding the opposition under 60 points.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY 61, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 59
NORTHERN KENTUCKY (61)

Sharpe 4-9 2-2 12, Adheke 0-1 0-0 0, Faulkner 1-4 0-0 2, Walton 7-14 4-6 20, Tate 8-13 2-3 18, Langdon 0-1 0-0 0, Nelson 3-4 0-1 6, Harris 0-2 0-0 0, Djoko 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 24-50 9-14 61.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE (59)
Quisenberry 2-13 4-4 9, Bohannon 4-7 5-7 13, Akuchie 0-1 2-2 2, Simmons 2-4 0-0 5, Cathcart 5-13 0-0 14, Morgan 3-11 0-0 8, Covington 3-8 2-2 8, Bentley 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0, Hamperian 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-58 13-15 59.
HALFTIME: NKU 34-20. 3-POINTERS: (NKU 4-14, YSU 8-25). REBOUNDS: NKU 34 (Faulkner 8), YSU 36 (Bohannon 9).
RECORDS: NKU 21-8, 13-4 HL; YSU 16-13, 9-7 HL.

(Information compiled from NKU and staff reports)


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