By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter
If Darrin Horn planned to write a book about his first season as head coach at Northern Kentucky, “Depth Through Desperation” might be a fitting title.
Given what’s happened to Horn’s injury-plagued squad, developing the bench out of necessity has been a challenge. The latest chapter in the saga of the Norse’s walking wounded, a 73-59 loss to Green Bay on Monday night, magnified the absence of injured star Dantez Walton.
The rash of injuries have also allowed players who were expected to see limited action to instead receive extended minutes on the court, something that could benefit NKU later in the season.
“That’s the positive of this stretch which we’ve gone through, with first (Jalen) Tate out, and now Dantez out,” Horn said after his team dropped to 9-5 overall, 1-1 in the Horizon League. “Even though Tate is back, we’ve had to play guys more minutes than we normally would.
“It definitely helps you develop your depth, and we’ve had an opportunity to do that.”
NKU’s Jalen Tate glides past Green Bay’s JayQuan McCloud (11) for a basket in the first half. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
NKU received a big boost Monday night when Tate entered the game early in the first half. It marked his first appearance since Nov. 12 at Coastal Carolina.
“The hand feels a lot better,” Tate said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been out there tonight.”
After missing the previous 10 games with a broken left hand, Tate led NKU with 11 points on Monday and also dished out three assists. The 6-foot-6 junior guard played nearly 19 minutes, but he was not pleased with the outcome.
“As far as how the game went, it’s honestly embarrassing to go out like that at home with the crowd we had tonight,” Tate said. “The expectations that we took every day at practice. The mentality we took. We didn’t show any of that toughness tonight.”
Green Bay scored the first 10 points of the game and maintained control the entire 40 minutes. Normally the worst defensive team in the Horizon League (81.8 ppg allowed), the Phoenix held NKU to 37.7 percent shooting from the field.
Despite playing at home, NKU was 0-for-13 from 3-point range at halftime and faced a 34-22 deficit at the break.
“Give credit to Green Bay, I thought they were terrific,” Horn said. “I think the biggest thing that hurt us in the first half was that we got some pretty good looks, got to the rim several times and didn’t make any shots. We didn’t finish those, and I thought that really impacted us on the defensive end.”
NKU’s Adrian Nelson (4) scores while being fouled by Green Bay’s Will Chevalier during the first half on Monday night at BB&T Arena. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Green Bay led by as many as 24 points late in the second half and coasted to the win. The Phoenix also contained NKU standout guard Tyler Sharpe, who had averaged 31.3 points per contest the past three games.
Sharpe finished with six points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field.
Trevon Faulkner joined Tate in double figures with 10 points, while Bryson Langdon and Tre Cobbs both scored nine points. The Norse missed their first 16 attempts from 3-point range before Faulkner finally ended the streak with a triple with 11:35 remaining in the game.
Said Faulkner: “We just weren’t hitting shots, but defensively we weren’t where we needed to be. We kind of let our offense affect our defense.”
Losing an experienced player such as Walton — who was on his way toward possibly earning Horizon League Player of the Year honors before the injury — affects NKU in many ways.
“The biggest thing you lose without a guy like Dantez Walton offensively is not just how many points he scores,” Horn said, noting his team has to find ways to score easy baskets. “Sometimes (Walton) eases the pain. If you’re struggling, he makes a shot or the correct pass or gets fouled.”
NKU owned five consecutive wins against Green Bay prior to Monday night. The Norse still hold a 5-4 lead in the all-time series with the Phoenix.
NKU is now 47-7 at BB&T Arena since the start of the 2016-17 campaign. The Norse are 6-2 at home this season, with the other setback a 98-96 double-overtime loss to Texas Southern on Nov. 23.
NKU hits the road this weekend for a pair of games, beginning Friday night at Detroit Mercy. The Norse conclude the two-game trip Sunday at Oakland.
GREEN BAY 73, NORTHERN KENTUCKY 59
GREEN BAY (73)
Davis 4-14 0-1 8, McCloud 4-9 4-4 13, Hankerson 3-10 0-0 6, Pipes 8-10 0-0 20, Schwartz 1-3 0-0 3, Chevalier 1-2 0-0 3, Patterson 6-8 3-4 15, Bell 0-0 0-0 0, Crist 0-1 5-6 5, Miles 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-57 12-16 73.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY (59)
Sharpe 3-10 0-1 6, Adheke 1-1 0-1 2, Faulkner 3-14 2-2 10, Langdon 3-6 2-2 9, Eleeda 1-3 0-0 3, Nelson 1-1 0-2 2, Mocaby 0-5 2-2 2, Tate 5-10 1-1 11, Djoko 1-3 0-0 3, Harris 1-1 0-0 2, Cobbs 4-7 1-2 9. Totals 23-61 8-13 59.
HALFTIME: UWGB 34-22. 3-POINTERS: (NKU 5-26, UWGB 7-17). REBOUNDS: NKU 35 (Nelson, Adheke 6), UWGB 39 (Patterson 10).
RECORDS: Green Bay 6-9, 1-1 HL; NKU 9-5, 1-1 HL
Green Bay’s Manny Patterson (far right) pulls in one of his game-high 10 rebounds on Monday night. Patterson also scored 15 points. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
