Norse Drop Fifth Straight in 87–84 Overtime Loss to Green Bay
The Norse traded punches with the Phoenix for 45 minutes, fighting through early rebounding issues, a second-half swing, and a late-game scramble that sent the game to overtime. In the end, one final shot was the difference, as Green Bay escaped Truist Arena with an 87–84 overtime win in a game that felt like it could have broken either way until the final horn.
First Half
The opening half was choppy, physical, and defined by Green Bay’s ability to generate extra possessions. The Phoenix consistently hurt NKU on the glass, piling up second-chance points and living in the paint behind C.J. O’Hara’s interior scoring. Green Bay built momentum with effort plays, putbacks, and trips to the free throw line, briefly stretching the margin to double digits midway through the half.
NKU never let the game get away. Donovan Oday and Tae Dozier provided timely shot-making to stop runs, and the Norse leaned on transition opportunities created by defensive activity. Despite shooting just 35.3 FG% in the half and struggling to convert at the free throw line, NKU closed the gap late with back-to-back threes and went into the locker room trailing just 35–31.
Second Half
The second half flipped the flow. NKU came out sharper offensively, attacking downhill and finding better balance between paint touches and perimeter looks. Oday, Dozier, and Ethan Elliott all delivered key buckets as the Norse shot 52.0 FG% after the break. A late run capped by free throws and interior finishes allowed NKU to erase the deficit and briefly take control.
Green Bay answered every punch. Marcus Hall and Caden Wilkins knocked down timely threes, and O’Hara continued to punish NKU inside. The final minutes turned into a possession-by-possession battle. After a missed GB free throw, Shawn Nelson and Donovan Oday battled for the rebound against each other and knocked the ball out of bounds. With under ten seconds left, Hall buried a deep three to tie the game at 72, sending a back-and-forth contest into overtime.
Overtime
Overtime was tight and tense from the opening tip. Both teams traded paint scores and tough jumpers, with neither side able to string together stops. Oday and Elliott kept NKU within striking distance, while Green Bay countered with confidence from Wilkins and Hall.
With the game tied in the closing seconds, Green Bay executed cleanly. Preston Ruedinger stepped into a contested three at the buzzer and knocked it down, sealing an 87–84 overtime win.
Final Numbers and Takeaways
Oday and Dozier carried much of the offensive load. Oday delivered the moment of the night with a poster dunk over Bethea, easily one of the best finishes of the season, and consistently attacked the paint. Dozier complemented him with his best perimeter night of the year, knocking down a season-high four threes and providing steady shot-making when NKU needed it most.
Wells battled through injury and still found ways to impact the game, finishing in double figures and creating extra possessions with offensive rebounds. His late basket in regulation should have been the game-sealer, but a breakdown on the defensive glass after the ensuing free throw allowed Green Bay to tie the game. In the aftermath, Wells’ finish became a footnote rather than the defining play it deserved to be.
Elliott gave the Norse a boost after missing two games. He logged 34 minutes, scored in double figures, and connected on three threes, providing much-needed spacing and confidence from the perimeter.
Dan Gherezgher was a complete non-factor and a net negative during his time on the floor. He finished 1-9 from the field and 1-7 from three, never finding rhythm or confidence. Rather than playing assertively, he was indecisive, drifting into a passive facilitator role despite being capable of scoring against nearly any matchup he sees.
The turnovers were especially damaging. Three of his four came in the first two minutes of the second half and directly fueled Green Bay’s momentum. He stepped out of bounds in transition, threw a careless pass to the perimeter that led to an uncontested fast-break score, and then simply fell down trying to post up. Those mistakes were unforced and avoidable.
Despite not being in foul trouble at any point, he was effectively unplayable down the stretch. Gherezgher logged just eight seconds of game time over the final eight-plus minutes of regulation and did not see the floor in overtime. Given his performance and the state of the game, that decision was not only understandable, it was necessary.
The Norse continue to make things harder than they need to be, repeatedly putting themselves in early holes and then having to fight just to play meaningful basketball down the stretch. Self-inflicted mistakes have turned manageable games into uphill climbs.
They will have little time to reset, with a quick turnaround Saturday at home against Milwaukee. If a sixth straight loss follows, Northern Kentucky could find itself staring at a bottom-three seed in the Horizon League Tournament, with very little margin left to correct course.
Northern Kentucky’s Key Players
Donovan Oday: 41 MIN, 28 PTS, 11-22 FG, 4-11 3PT, 2-5 FT, 8 REB, 1 PF, 5 AST, 0 TO, 1 BLK, 5 STL
Tae Dozier: 40 MIN, 20 PTS, 7-13 FG, 4-8 3PT, 2-4 FT, 5 REB, 1 PF, 3 AST, 1 TO, 4 BLK, 3 STL
LJ Wells: 34 MIN, 13 PTS, 3-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, 7-10 FT, 3 REB, 3 PF, 1 AST, 0 TO, 2 BLK, 1 STL
Ethan Elliott: 34 MIN, 11 PTS, 3-8 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, 1 REB, 4 PF, 0 AST, 0 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Shawn Nelson: 37 MIN, 5 PTS, 2-5 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-1 FT, 6 REB, 3 PF, 1 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Dan Gherezgher: 24 MIN, 3 PTS, 1-9 FG, 1-7 3PT, 0-0 FT, 3 REB, 1 PF, 6 AST, 4 TO, 0 BLK, 2 STL
Green Bay’s Key Players
C.J. O’Hara: 38 MIN, 23 PTS, 9-13 FG, 0-0 3PT, 5-6 FT, 6 REB, 1 PF, 1 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 3 STL
Marcus Hall: 42 MIN, 15 PTS, 5-9 FG, 3-5 3PT, 2-4 FT, 7 REB, 4 PF, 5 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Caden Wilkins: 22 MIN, 11 PTS, 4-5 FG, 3-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, 3 REB, 4 PF, 0 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Justin Allen: 36 MIN, 9 PTS, 3-9 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, 10 REB, 2 PF, 0 AST, 3 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Vukasin Todorovic: 14 MIN, 9 PTS, 2-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, 5-7 FT, 2 REB, 1 PF, 1 AST, 1 TO, 1 BLK, 1 STL
Preston Ruedinger: 37 MIN, 8 PTS, 3-11 FG, 2-9 3PT, 0-0 FT, 3 REB, 3 PF, 3 AST, 3 TO, 0 BLK, 1 STL
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|---|---|---|
| Field Goals (FG) | 31-62 (50.0%) | 29-65 (44.6%) |
| Three-Point FG (3PT) | 9-23 (39.1%) | 12-36 (33.3%) |
| Free Throws (FT) | 16-22 (72.7%) | 14-22 (63.6%) |
| Total Rebounds (Offensive) | 41 (13) | 29 (9) |
| Assists | 12 | 16 |
| Steals | 5 | 12 |
| Blocks | 1 | 7 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 8 |
| Points Off Turnovers | 10 | 21 |
| Fast Break Points | 11 | 11 |
| Points in the Paint | 44 | 34 |
| Personal Fouls | 21 | 17 |
| Largest Lead | 13 | 5 |
Up Next- @ Truist Arena vs Milwaukee 2/7 | 5pm
The one positive for the Norse is that Milwaukee has been struggling as well. The Panthers enter the matchup just 2-10 over their last 12 games and have dropped three straight. It sets up a real opportunity for Northern Kentucky to reset and get something moving in the right direction on Homecoming night at Truist Arena.
