NKU Remains Unbeaten at Home After Handling Brescia 92–53
Northern Kentucky handled its business on Tuesday night, rolling past Brescia 92–53 and never giving the visitors a chance. NKU controlled the game from the opening minute, built a 29 point cushion by halftime, and used the night to play the bench depth and work on defensive effort. It was complete, steady, and exactly the kind of performance the Norse needed in the middle of a busy stretch.
First Half
NKU Sets the Tempo and Breaks the Game Open
The Norse wasted no time putting pressure on Brescia. Kael Robinson set the early tone with free throws, a transition three, and a pair of strong finishes that put NKU in control right away. The defensive activity popped too. Donovan Oday and Bryce Darbyshire each delivered blocks at the rim, LJ Wells cleaned everything off the glass, and NKU kept Brescia scoreless from three for the entire half. The Norse were comfortable pushing off misses, and Brescia’s turnovers fed fast break chances that kept the lead climbing.
The burst midway through the half completely separated the game. Tae Dozier drilled a three and followed it with a transition dunk, Dan Gherezgher added his own fast break layup, and the bench continued the push. Robinson stayed aggressive, Oday knocked down a wing three, and Darbyshire hit a late transition triple to cap off a 50 point half. NKU went into the locker room up 50–21, holding Brescia to 21% shooting and 0–14 from deep.
Second Half
Steady Control and Strong Bench Minutes
With the game already stretched out, NKU’s focus in the second half shifted toward maintaining tempo, executing cleanly, and getting extended minutes across the roster. Robinson kept scoring with free throws and a tip-in, Wells stayed physical inside, and Dozier added another three as the lead hovered around 30. The group in the middle stretch, built around Darbyshire, Tolliver, Nelson, and Rakotonanahary, kept the ball moving and stayed locked in defensively.
Darbyshire took over the late part of the half with two transition threes and a strong drive, finishing with 11 off the bench. NKU’s defensive pressure forced 16 turnovers overall while holding Brescia to just 4–27 from three. The Norse wrapped the night with a balanced scoring sheet, a 50–35 rebounding edge, and 33 bench points. It was wire-to-wire control, and the final 92–53 result reflected it.
Final Numbers and Takeaways
Six players reached double figures, which is exactly what you want in a game where no one logged more than Ethan Elliott’s 28 minutes. The only real blemish was the 14 turnovers. A few were forced passes, and this could have been a night where NKU finished under 10.
Elliott’s shooting slump is still lingering. He’s gone scoreless in five of the last six games and is 2 for 32 during that stretch. On the season, he’s 4 for 14 on open catch-and-shoot attempts. The looks will keep coming because most teams are willing to leave him alone on the perimeter. The encouraging part is his defense. Over the last five games he’s allowed just under six points per game, with most of that damage coming against Cleveland State.
Kael Robinson’s surge continues. He has poured in 66 points in 70 minutes over his last three outings while shooting 20 for 34 from the field. He’s in complete control right now offensively.
Defensively, NKU leaned heavily on fist/zone. Coming into the night, the Norse used fist on 58.8% of defensive possessions. Against Brescia it jumped to 84%. It was the perfect setting to get extra reps, and the numbers backed it up. Brescia shot 30.8% against fist on 63 possessions, and NKU held them to 0 for 5 from the field in 12 trips against man.
Brescia’s Key Players
Jaunte Jenkins: 30 MIN, 13 PTS, 6-15 FG, 1-8 3PT, 0-0 FT, 3 REB, 3 PF, 1 AST, 1 TO, 0 BLK, 2 STL
Jordan Cooke: 24 MIN, 9 PTS, 3-9 FG, 1-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, 3 REB, 0 PF, 1 AST, 0 TO, 0 BLK, 2 STL
Braxton Highbaugh: 20 MIN, 7 PTS, 3-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-1 FT, 5 REB, 2 PF, 3 AST, 3 TO, 0 BLK, 2 STL
Braden Waller: 17 MIN, 8 PTS, 3-5 FG, 2-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, 3 REB, 3 PF, 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Xavi Tirado: 13 MIN, 6 PTS, 3-4 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-0 FT, 2 REB, 3 PF, 0 AST, 0 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Northern Kentucky’s Key Players
Kael Robinson: 21 MIN, 23 PTS, 6-11 FG, 2-5 3PT, 9-10 FT, 5 REB, 1 PF, 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Tae Dozier: 21 MIN, 13 PTS, 5-9 FG, 3-7 3PT, 0-0 FT, 5 REB, 1 PF, 0 AST, 1 TO, 2 BLK, 2 STL
Dan Gherezgher: 23 MIN, 12 PTS, 5-10 FG, 0-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, 2 REB, 0 PF, 3 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
LJ Wells: 20 MIN, 11 PTS, 2-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, 7-10 FT, 9 REB, 0 PF, 1 AST, 2 TO, 1 BLK, 0 STL
Bryce Darbyshire: 15 MIN, 11 PTS, 4-5 FG, 3-4 3PT, 0-0 FT, 7 REB, 3 PF, 0 AST, 1 TO, 1 BLK, 1 STL
Donovan Oday: 20 MIN, 11 PTS, 3-8 FG, 1-4 3PT, 4-5 FT, 7 REB, 2 PF, 2 AST, 1 TO, 0 BLK, 1 STL
Brescia
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Northern Kentucky
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|---|---|---|
| Field Goals (FG) | 20-68 (29.4%) | 28-59 (47.5%) |
| Three-Point FG (3PT) | 4-27 (14.8%) | 10-33 (30.3%) |
| Free Throws (FT) | 9-16 (56.3%) | 26-33 (78.8%) |
| Total Rebounds (Offensive) | 35 (12) | 50 (12) |
| Assists | 8 | 15 |
| Steals | 9 | 6 |
| Blocks | 0 | 5 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 14 |
| Points Off Turnovers | 9 | 15 |
| Fast Break Points | 13 | 23 |
| Points in the Paint | 28 | 34 |
| Personal Fouls | 22 | 15 |
| Largest Lead | 0 | 0 |
Up Next- @ Bellarmine 2 pm
NKU heads to Louisville for a matchup at Bellarmine’s Knights Hall. The Norse are 44-37 all time against the Knights, with most of those meetings coming before either program made the jump to Division I. NKU took last year’s game at Truist Arena 86-70. Full pregame coverage drops Friday.
