A Dominant Opening Half Carries NKU Past Youngstown State, 94–79

Northern Kentucky set the tone early and never truly let go. Behind a dominant first half built on defensive pressure, transition scoring, and physical play, the Norse rolled to a 94–79 win over Youngstown State at Truist Arena. While the Penguins found rhythm after halftime and made things interesting, NKU’s opening 20 minutes created too much separation, allowing the Norse to absorb the second-half push and close the game with composure.

First Half

NKU Sets the Tone Immediately

From the opening possessions, Northern Kentucky made it clear this would be played on its terms. Early defensive pressure forced turnovers, and the Norse wasted no time converting those mistakes into points. Dan Gherezgher knocked down an early three in transition, LJ Wells finished inside, and NKU quickly began stacking possessions with pace and purpose. Postgame with Jim Kelch and Rick Broering, Coach Darrin Horn pointed to how complete that opening stretch looked.

“I thought we came out and played as complete as we’ve played all year in the first half. Real aggressive defensively, but doing it with discipline and intelligence, which led to some great transition.”

Transition Offense Breaks the Game Open

Once the Norse got out and running, the game tilted hard. Gherezgher, Donovan Oday, and Kael Robinson all found buckets in the open floor, with assists coming from multiple spots and defensive rebounds immediately turning into push-ahead chances. NKU’s ability to score before YSU could get its defense organized stretched the lead into double digits before the midpoint of the half.

Youngstown State Goes Cold From Deep

The Penguins’ offensive issues compounded quickly. Youngstown State missed repeatedly from three and struggled to generate clean halfcourt looks. By halftime, YSU had shot just 3-for-21 from deep and failed to find any sustained rhythm against NKU’s defensive activity. Meanwhile, the Norse mixed inside finishes with timely perimeter shooting, keeping the defense honest and preventing any kind of momentum swing.

Norse Close the Half With Authority

NKU finished the half the same way it started it: aggressive, decisive, and connected. Oday attacked the paint, Wells cleaned up misses on the glass, and Gherezgher capped the run by getting to the line and finishing in transition. The Norse walked into the locker room up 50–24, firmly in control and having dictated every phase of the game.

Second Half

YSU Fires Back From the Perimeter

To their credit, Youngstown State came out with far more urgency after halftime. Cris Carroll found his shooting touch, drilling multiple threes, and YSU pushed the pace to chip away at the margin. What had been a stagnant first half offense suddenly found life through quick perimeter shots and early-clock decisions.

Turnovers and Pace Create Chaos

As YSU pressed and sped the game up, possessions became messy on both ends. NKU committed a few uncharacteristic turnovers, and Youngstown State capitalized enough to make the score respectable. Carroll and Bryson Dawkins attacked gaps, and the Penguins briefly trimmed the deficit into the low teens. Horn acknowledged that stretch afterward.

“You knew Youngstown State was going to make a run. I’m not that worried about it except for some of the things we did that were just literally mindless. Some of the baskets we gave up late, leaving three-point shooters, just silly stuff that we know better than.”

NKU Answers With Physicality and Shot-Making

The response came from experience. Wells stabilized things with a three and strong finishes inside. Oday attacked downhill for dunks and free throws, and Gherezgher calmly knocked down shots when the offense needed a reset. NKU’s ability to score through contact and finish possessions on the glass slowed the Penguins’ momentum. Defensively, Tae Dozier and Kael Robinson delivered timely stops and steals that flipped energy back in NKU’s favor.

Norse Finish Strong Despite the Surge

Youngstown State continued to score in the second half, shooting well from three and refusing to fold, but NKU never let the game truly slip. The Norse closed out a 94–79 win that reflected their dominance early and their composure late, even as YSU made things interesting after the break.

Final Numbers and Takeaways

Northern Kentucky played its most complete half of the season in the opening 20 minutes. The Norse controlled both the box score and the scoreboard, and the margin reflected it. Four players finished in double figures, with Dan Gherezgher and Donovan Oday both clearing the 20-point mark again this season. NKU’s balance, physicality, and decision-making early left Youngstown State with no margin for error.

Gherezgher, in particular, has taken a noticeable step forward offensively over his last two games. During that stretch, he is shooting 13-for-21 from the field and 9-for-14 from three. The efficiency has stood out. He has been selective, stayed within rhythm, and consistently taken clean looks. Youngstown State offered little resistance in the first half, and Gherezgher made them pay. Coach Darrin Horn summed up that progress afterward:

“Dan Gherezgher the last two games to me is finally starting to look like a winning basketball player. He’s always been a talented player, he’s always been a guy that could score, but now we’re getting some efficiency. You know, five rebounds tonight. They were huge, positive assist-to-turnover ratio in a game where they pressed the last eight minutes of the game.”

After Wells opened the second half with a basket to push the lead to 28, the game got sloppy. Youngstown State went on a run fueled less by execution and more by NKU mistakes. After committing just three turnovers in the first half, the Norse turned it over 11 times after the break. LJ Wells accounted for five of those in the second half. While YSU applied some pressure, most of the turnovers came from loose ball handling rather than forced plays, which led to Wells spending stretches of crunch time on the bench. Over the final five minutes, he played only about two total minutes, rotating in and out as NKU tried to settle the game.

The Penguins made their biggest push before the 4:47 mark, when a Bryson Dawkins jumper cut the lead to 73–66. NKU responded quickly. After being forced to call a timeout on the offensive end, the Norse ran a clean set out of the break. Tae Dozier’s cut from the wing pulled the defense with him, freeing Gherezgher for an open look that he buried to push the margin back to double digits. Youngstown State never got closer than seven the rest of the way.

At its best, NKU did two things extremely well in this game: it punished Youngstown State in the paint and consistently beat the Penguins down the floor. The Norse finished with 27 fast break points, repeatedly getting layups and dunks before YSU could set its defense. The only real wavering came when NKU drifted away from attacking the paint and settled for lower-percentage threes.

There were highlights to match the physical tone as well. One of the night’s loudest moments came on a baseline out-of-bounds set when Ethan Elliott slipped a quick look to Donovan Oday, who exploded on a backdoor cut and finished with a dunk over Andrew King. Check it out below:

Cris Carroll was the engine behind Youngstown State’s second-half push. The senior was lethal from deep, knocking down a career-high seven three-pointers. Five of those came after halftime as the Penguins tried to climb back into the game. After opening the night just 3-for-21 from three in the first half, YSU knew it would take a dramatic shift in perimeter shooting to have any chance. They responded by going an efficient 7-for-13 from deep in the second half, with Carroll leading the charge. The problem was the hole already created. Even with the improved shooting, the first-half deficit proved too steep to overcome.

Imanuel Zorgvol’s return to Truist Arena never had a chance to settle. The big man battled foul trouble throughout the game, continuing a familiar trend against the Norse. Youngstown State head coach Ethan Faulkner indicated before the game that Zorgvol would not start after picking up early fouls in recent outings, and that approach proved necessary again. This marked the third time Zorgvol has faced NKU in his career, and he has now fouled out in two of those three games. In the first matchup against the Norse, he only played two minutes.

Despite recording zero blocks in this game, Zorgvol remains the Horizon League’s leader in blocked shots, underscoring how disruptive he can be when he is able to stay on the floor. Against NKU, however, fouls once again dictated his night and limited Youngstown State’s ability to protect the paint when it mattered most.

Youngstown State's Key Players

Cris Carroll: 36 MIN, 26 PTS, 8-17 FG, 7-14 3PT, 3-6 FT, 5 REB, 3 PF, 1 AST, 3 TO, 0 BLK, 2 STL
Rich Rolf: 30 MIN, 10 PTS, 4-11 FG, 2-7 3PT, 0-1 FT, 4 REB, 4 PF, 1 AST, 1 TO, 1 BLK, 1 STL
Bryson Dawkins: 24 MIN, 10 PTS, 5-11 FG, 0-2 3PT, 0-0 FT, 2 REB, 1 PF, 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Jason Nelson: 25 MIN, 8 PTS, 3-9 FG, 0-2 3PT, 2-4 FT, 4 REB, 2 PF, 6 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 2 STL
Cam Polak: 13 MIN, 8 PTS, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-3 FT, 2 REB, 2 PF, 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 BLK, 1 STL
Imanuel Zorgvol: 7 MIN, 5 PTS, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-1 FT, 1 REB, 5 PF, 0 AST, 0 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL

Northern Kentucky’s Key Players

Dan Gherezgher: 33 MIN, 26 PTS, 7-13 FG, 4-7 3PT, 8-9 FT, 5 REB, 0 PF, 5 AST, 4 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Donovan Oday: 29 MIN, 22 PTS, 7-15 FG, 1-4 3PT, 7-9 FT, 4 REB, 2 PF, 3 AST, 0 TO, 0 BLK, 2 STL
LJ Wells: 32 MIN, 18 PTS, 7-11 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-5 FT, 11 REB, 2 PF, 1 AST, 6 TO, 1 BLK, 0 STL
Kael Robinson: 27 MIN, 16 PTS, 5-10 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-5 FT, 5 REB, 2 PF, 4 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 2 STL
Tae Dozier: 24 MIN, 7 PTS, 3-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, 0-0 FT, 4 REB, 3 PF, 2 AST, 0 TO, 2 BLK, 1 STL

	Youngstown State	Northern Kentucky
Field Goals (FG)	28-70 (40.0%)	30-58 (51.7%)
Three-Point FG (3PT)	10-34 (29.4%)	9-20 (45.0%)
Free Throws (FT)	13-23 (56.5%)	25-32 (78.1%)
Total Rebounds (Offensive)	33 (12)	45 (9)
Assists	13	19
Steals	7	8
Blocks	2	3
Turnovers	13	14
Points Off Turnovers	18	13
Fast Break Points	7	27
Points in the Paint	32	40
Personal Fouls	24	19
Largest Lead	1	28

Up Next- @ Milwaukee 1/9 | 8pm

The win over Youngstown State gives Northern Kentucky its third Horizon League victory in seven days. The Norse now get a brief pause before a demanding stretch of four games in nine days, beginning Friday night on the road at Milwaukee. Milwaukee sits at 3–1 in Horizon League play and will face Green Bay on January 5 before hosting Northern Kentucky. NKU’s trip to Milwaukee opens a challenging run that will test both depth and execution as conference play tightens.

Follow all the action with Jim Kelch and Rick Broering on ESPN 1530 with pregame coverage starting at 7:30 pm on January 9th! You can also watch the game on ESPN+.