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Warrick, Faulkner provide clutch plays, NKU rallies for 75-68 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne


By Don Owen
NKyTribune sports editor

Northern Kentucky rang in the new year Friday night by hosting an old foe — an opponent the Norse hadn’t faced since both programs were competing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Purdue Fort Wayne — better known as IPFW during those days at the NCAA Division II level — visited BB&T Arena for the first time to renew the rivalry with NKU. The Mastodons, making their debut in the Horizon League this season, wasted no time in making an impression on the Norse.

Trevon Faulkner of NKU soars in for a dunk against Purdue Fort Wayne during the first half. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

Purdue Fort Wayne built an early 14-point lead (18-4) and appeared on the way to snapping a 14-game losing streak in the series with NKU that dated back to Feb. 11, 1995.

But Marques Warrick and Trevon Faulkner had other ideas.

Warrick poured in a career-high 22 points — including a game-clinching 3-pointer in the final minute — as NKU rallied for a 75-68 victory over the Mastodons. Faulkner added 21 points, six rebounds and three steals as the Norse improved to 4-4 overall, 2-1 in the Horizon League.

“It was pretty obvious early in the game that we had eight days off and only a few days to prepare for this one,” NKU head coach Darrin Horn said. “We were really sloppy with the basketball and not assertive at all on the defensive end, got down double digits early.

“I think what changed the game is we picked it up defensively, got a lot of deflections, got out in transition and that really seemed to get our guys going.”

Bryson Langdon finished with 15 points and three assists for NKU, which used a 9-0 spurt late in the second half to turn a 60-58 deficit into a 67-60 lead. Warrick netted a pair of baskets to key the run, while teammate John Harge converted a conventional three-point play at the 4:01 mark that gave NKU a 65-60 advantage.

Warrick later sealed the victory by draining an acrobatic 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining that extended NKU’s lead to 72-65. The freshman guard split a pair of defenders as the shot clock was about to expire, leaned forward and buried the game-clinching triple.

Marques Warrick finishes off a dunk during NKU’s 75-68 win over Purdue Fort Wayne. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

“He has no fear on the offensive end,” Horn said of Warrick. “He’s a very gifted scorer. He just keeps responding to being challenged.”

Warrick was 8-for-14 from the field, adding three steals and four rebounds in 31 minutes of play.

“(Marques) is just a high-character guy,” Horn said. “The bigger the moment, the better he is.”

Faulkner also provided big plays at key moments. With NKU trailing 30-20 in the first half, Faulkner ignited a 10-0 run with a highlight-reel dunk. Faulkner drove the lane, elevated over two Purdue Fort Wayne defenders and threw down an emphatic tomahawk jam.

“At the moment, it was just a good spark,” Faulkner said of the dunk. “It brought energy to the team, and that’s what we needed at the time.”

NKU played without Adham Eleeda and Carlos Hines, both of whom were unavailable. With Eleeda out, Darius Harding provided the Norse with key minutes off the bench with five points, five rebounds and three steals.

“You saw some things (Darius) can do, athletic on the defensive end, and he can shoot with range,” Horn said of Harding, who averaged 19.3 points per game last season at Motlow State Community College. “The adjustments have been hard for him. It was good to see him get out there and do some good things.”

Deonte Billups scored 22 points to lead Purdue Fort Wayne, which dropped to 2-4 overall, 1-4 in the Horizon League. Demetric Horton added 16 points for the Mastodons, who shot 53.2 percent from the field, including 9-for-21 from 3-point range.

NKU’s John Harge scores while being fouled by Purdue Fort Wayne’s Dylan Carl (11) in the second half on Friday night. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

NKU won the rebounding battle by a 31-21 count and held Purdue Fort Wayne scoring machine Jarred Godfrey to just four points. Godfrey entered Friday averaging 18.6 points per contest.

Despite an eight-day pause for virus-related issues, NKU found a way to win at home, something that pleased Horn.

“(You’re) not quite as sharp. You haven’t practiced in eight days, and you’re preparing for two games,” he said of the adjustments. “I’m proud of the way the guys responded, though. Purdue Fort Wayne is a terrific offensive team and extremely well-coached.

“They are a high-executing, highly skilled basketball team. And if we’re not aggressive, they will pick you apart.”

Friday’s game marked the first meeting between the two programs since Feb. 10, 2001, when both competed at the NCAA Division II level. NKU posted a 94-73 win over IPFW that afternoon almost 20 years ago in Regents Hall.

NKU and Purdue Fort Wayne conclude the two-game weekend series at 6 p.m. Saturday at BB&T Arena.

The Norse continue Horizon League play next weekend with a two-game series at Cleveland State, beginning with a 7 p.m. Friday contest in the Wolstein Center. The Vikings remained unbeaten (5-0) in the Horizon League with a 65-62 win at IUPUI on Friday night.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY 75, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 68
PURDUE FORT WAYNE (68)
Godfrey 2-7 0-0 4, Planutis 1-2 0-0 2, Horton 5-12 3-4 16, Pipkins 5-7 3-3 13, Carl 1-3 1-3 3, Black 1-2 0-0 2, Billups 8-10 0-0 22, Kpedi 0-2 1-2 1, Walker 2-2 1-2 5, DeJurnett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-47 9-14 68.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY (75)
Faulkner 7-12 5-6 21, Langdon 5-8 4-5 15, Nelson 0-2 0-0 0, Warrick 8-14 4-4 22, Robinson 1-4 0-0 2, Böhm 1-5 4-6 6, Harding 2-5 0-0 5, Harge 1-1 2-3 4, Evans 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-51 19-24 75.
HALFTIME: PFW 38-32. 3-POINTERS: (NKU 6-22, PFW 9-21). REBOUNDS: NKU 31 (Faulkner 6), PFW 21 (Planutis 4).
RECORDS: NKU 4-4, 2-1 Horizon League; Purdue Fort Wayne 2-4, 1-4 Horizon League.

NKU’s Darius Harding scores a basket after grabbing an offensive rebound during the second half against Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday night. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

Bryson Langdon attempts a jumper in the lane against Purdue Fort Wayne in the first half. Langdon finished with 15 points and three assists. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

Freshman guard Marques Warrick seals the NKU victory by draining this acrobatic 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining in the game Friday night. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

Don Owen is sports editor of the Northern Kentucky Tribune. Contact him at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport.


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