NKU Chases All Afternoon in 88–80 Road Loss at Wright State
Northern Kentucky never found solid footing in Dayton. Turnovers, missed assignments, and an inability to get consistent stops allowed Wright State to control the game from early in the first half and dictate the flow throughout. Despite a late push and an outstanding scoring night from Dan Gherezgher, the Norse spent most of the afternoon chasing a deficit they could never truly cut down, falling 88–80 at the Nutter Center.
First Half
A Sharp Start, Then Immediate Chaos
Northern Kentucky opened the game with good intent and clean execution. Kael Robinson set the tone early with a controlled shot fake in the paint to get the Norse on the board, and the first few minutes showed the right ideas on both ends. NKU was active defensively, crashing the offensive glass, and creating extra possessions that should have paid off. Ethan Elliott nearly came away with a steal on the next defensive possession but took a shot to the head diving on the floor, a moment that summed up the effort level early.
Wright State Turns Pressure Into Points
That early energy did not translate to control. Wright State immediately started hunting Elliott defensively and turning loose balls into runouts. Michael Cooper was the spark. In the first six minutes, Cooper got downhill and scored, then stole the inbound pass, and buried a three, scoring seven points in a blink. NKU lost several 50-50 balls and those moments turned into Wright State buckets the other way. The Raiders pushed the lead to 17-10 as turnovers mounted and backcourt pressure sped the game up in all the wrong ways.
Turnovers Fuel a Run NKU Couldn’t Stop
Sloppy ball security became the defining theme of the half. NKU committed four turnovers in the first seven minutes, and Wright State kept looking for sneaky steals in the backcourt. After a TJ Burch three and another NKU turnover trying to post Kael Robinson, Darrin Horn was forced to burn a timeout at 19-10. It did not slow the momentum. Wright State ripped off a 12-2 run over the next five minutes, building a 31-14 lead at the under-eight media.
Dan G Keeps the Door Cracked
If the first half had one lifeline, it was Dan Gherezgher. He buried a three out of a baseline out-of-bounds, then went on a personal 9-3 run to drag NKU back within striking distance. Elliott's hustle rebound kickout three trimmed the margin to 34-23, and Shawn Nelson followed with an up-and-under for his first points since the IU Indy game. NKU still found ways to hurt itself. Donovan Oday picked up a technical after a downhill score and flex, and Tae Dozier dribbled off his foot under the Wright State basket, leading to an easy layup when the Norse had a chance to cut it to single digits.
At the break, NKU trailed 48-36 despite shooting 62.5% from the floor. Gherezgher carried the offense with 16 first-half points on 6-8 shooting and 3-4 from three, but Kael Robinson and LJ Wells combined for five turnovers, many coming against quick post doubles that Wright State timed well. Coach Horn had this to say about the turnover struggles postgame with Jim Kelch and Rick Broering:
“The whole story in the first half was turnovers. Eleven turnovers, they scored 17 points off of it.”
Second Half
A Better Edge Out of the Locker Room
Northern Kentucky opened the half with a subtle shift, inserting Shawn Nelson for Kael Robinson, and the energy immediately picked up. After Dan Gherezgher missed the opening three, both teams traded buckets to start the half. Donovan Oday changed the tone by getting out in transition off a miss, finishing through contact for an and-one. Moments later, LJ Wells cleaned up an offensive rebound for a putback to trim the deficit to 52-43. NKU was playing with more force, but the margin for error remained thin.
Oday and Wells Keep NKU Punching Back
Wright State briefly answered, but Oday continued to pressure the rim in the halfcourt, banking in another and-one to make it 56-48. Gherezgher followed with his 20th point on a strong drive with just over 16 minutes left, yet stops were still hard to come by. Free throws and paint touches allowed the Raiders to stretch the lead back to 65-50, with Michael Imariagbe living at the line. Wright State leaned back into downhill offense, pushing the lead to 69-54 at the under-12 media timeout.
Small Runs, No Sustained Stops
Out of the timeout, Wells responded by getting to the line and then scoring over his left shoulder in the paint. The Norse forced Wright State’s fourth turnover of the half and put together a quick 6-2 run. Just as momentum started to tilt, NKU went under a screen on Michael Cooper, and he buried a deep three to push it back to 74-60. Gherezgher answered with another triple, but the same issue lingered. NKU could score in spurts, but they could not string together consecutive defensive stops.
Late Push Falls Short
A 5-0 burst from Tae Dozier cut the margin to 80-73, and Wright State’s conservative late-game approach opened the door for NKU to force a few turnovers. A missed Bryce Darbyshire three and a foul on the other end stalled that push, and Oday fouled out with 4:20 left trying to swipe in for a steal. Free throws pushed the lead back to 11 before Gherezgher hit 30 points on another tough finish to make it 85-77. A 10-second violation gave NKU life, and a Gherezgher steal led to a Shawn Nelson bucket that cut it to 86-80 with 1:48 left. Dozier fouled out moments later trying to trap in the backcourt, and one final defensive stand ended without a rebound as Wright State drained the clock. NKU’s late effort was real, but the inability to secure stops and finish possessions sealed an 88-80 loss.
Final Numbers and Takeaways
Defensive concerns were front and center coming out of this one. Northern Kentucky had multiple chances to work its way back into the game, but the inability to generate meaningful stops kept those windows from ever staying open. Each time the Norse showed signs of life, Wright State answered with a clean look, a paint touch, or a trip to the free throw line, preventing NKU from building any real momentum or controlling the flow of the game.
Northern Kentucky tried to adjust defensively, leaning more heavily on man-to-man than at any point this season. The Norse defended 65 possessions in man compared to just 10 in fist/zone, but neither approach produced consistent results. NKU allowed more than a point per possession in both coverages, and the change in scheme did little to slow Wright State’s offense.
Defensively, NKU struggled across multiple matchups. Ethan Elliott gave up seven points in just 14 minutes, the fewest he has played all season. LJ Wells was also targeted, allowing 11 points, the second-most he has conceded this year, whether on perimeter actions or interior finishes from Michael Imariagbe.
Those defensive issues were compounded by decision-making. Wells and Robinson combined for five turnovers, four of them in the first half, as Wright State sent extra help on post touches and the Norse forwards did not react quickly enough. Head coach Darrin Horn did not shy away from calling it what it was:
“We have a real toughness issue right now. We don’t play very physically tough, especially on the defensive end. We got out-toughed today, plain and simple.”
The free throw gap was decisive. Wright State went 29–36 at the line compared to NKU’s 11–16. Even with the Norse scoring 52 points in the paint, the Raiders’ ability to generate contact and convert free throws tilted the game. It was also a bounce-back win for Wright State after its loss to Cleveland State, and it showed in their physical approach.
If Northern Kentucky had somehow escaped with a win, the story of the day would have been Dan Gherezgher. He poured in a collegiate career-high 30 points on an efficient 12–17 shooting night. Outside of Tae Dozier’s late three, Gherezgher was the only Norse player to hit from deep. As a team, NKU went 1–13 from three outside of Dan, a 7.7% clip.
That performance marked the fourth straight game with a 30-plus point scorer for NKU, the first time the program has done that at the Division I level. Three of those four games, however, have come in losses, reinforcing how thin the margin has been when defensive consistency is lacking.
Kael Robinson’s recent stretch remains a concern. Since his 29-point, nine-three performance against Milwaukee, he has averaged 5.5 points on 26.7% shooting and is 1–14 from three over the last four games. Horizon League opponents have largely taken away his trail three, and just as concerning, Robinson has started turning down open looks. That hesitation has limited his effectiveness and shrunk the floor for NKU’s offense.
Zooming out, league opponents have defended Robinson well overall. Removing the Milwaukee game, he is 11–42 from three in Horizon League play, a 26.2% mark. He is a better shooter than that, but getting back to confidently taking open shots has to be a priority rather than forcing drives that have been far less productive.
One notable rotation shift came at point guard. Dozier logged some minutes running the offense, particularly after Wright State found success attacking Elliott. On the other end of that adjustment was Shawn Nelson, who played his most minutes of the season. Those were meaningful, productive minutes, and Nelson opening the second half in place of Robinson stood out. It would not be surprising to see Northern Kentucky roll out a different starting lineup at Detroit Mercy, which would mark just the third starting combination of the season. As Horn put it on Nelson:
“He’s improved defensively, he’s playing within our offense the right way, and he’s got some physical gifts that can help us, as he showed tonight.”
The loss marks NKU’s third in its last four games as a challenging road trip looms. The margin for error is shrinking, and defensive consistency will have to improve quickly for the Norse to steady themselves.
Northern Kentucky’s Key Players
Dan Gherezgher: 39 MIN, 30 PTS, 12-17 FG, 4-8 3PT, 2-4 FT, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 2 PF, 3 TO
LJ Wells: 33 MIN, 14 PTS, 5-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 4-6 FT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 4 PF, 2 TO
Donovan Oday: 29 MIN, 14 PTS, 5-9 FG, 0-3 3PT, 4-4 FT, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 5 PF, 1 TO
Tae Dozier: 31 MIN, 10 PTS, 4-6 FG, 1-3 3PT, 1-2 FT, 5 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 5 PF, 3 TO
Shawn Nelson: 23 MIN, 6 PTS, 3-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-0 FT, 4 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 PF, 1 TO
Kael Robinson: 20 MIN, 4 PTS, 2-7 FG, 0-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, 4 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1 PF, 3 TO
Ethan Elliott: 14 MIN, 0 PTS, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-0 FT, 1 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1 PF, 1 TO
Wright State’s Key Players
Michael Imariagbe: 29 MIN, 24 PTS, 7-10 FG, 0-0 3PT, 10-12 FT, 11 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 0 PF, 2 TO
Michael Cooper: 22 MIN, 21 PTS, 5-9 FG, 2-4 3PT, 9-10 FT, 1 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 0 PF, 0 TO
TJ Burch: 31 MIN, 16 PTS, 7-13 FG, 1-1 3PT, 1-2 FT, 3 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL, 0 BLK, 3 PF, 4 TO
Dominic Pangonis: 30 MIN, 12 PTS, 4-8 FG, 2-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 1 PF, 0 TO
Kellen Pickett: 32 MIN, 9 PTS, 3-9 FG, 0-1 3PT, 3-4 FT, 6 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 3 BLK, 1 PF, 0 TO
Wright State
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Northern Kentucky
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|---|---|---|
| Field Goals (FG) | 27-54 (50.0%) | 32-58 (55.2%) |
| Three-Point FG (3PT) | 5-14 (35.7%) | 5-21 (23.8%) |
| Free Throws (FT) | 29-36 (80.6%) | 11-16 (68.8%) |
| Total Rebounds (Offensive) | 33 (12) | 26 (8) |
| Assists | 15 | 7 |
| Steals | 11 | 5 |
| Blocks | 3 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 14 |
| Points Off Turnovers | 21 | 9 |
| Fast Break Points | 7 | 8 |
| Points in the Paint | 44 | 52 |
| Personal Fouls | 15 | 25 |
| Largest Lead | 16 | 0 |
Up Next- @ Detroit Mercy 1/30 | 7pm
Northern Kentucky heads to Michigan for the Detroit swing of the schedule, starting Friday night at Detroit Mercy before wrapping up the trip at Oakland on Sunday. The Titans are coming off a 95–87 loss to Oakland on Saturday and will be looking to respond at home. It is an important stretch for the Norse, who sit at 6–5 in Horizon League play, with a chance to build momentum against a Detroit Mercy team they dominated in the first meeting before facing an Oakland group that already handed NKU a loss this season.
