Norse Flip the Script Again: Surge Past IU Indy with 57-Point Second Half
Northern Kentucky looked out of sync for much of the first half and trailed by nine at the break. Even after falling behind by double digits again early in the second half, the Norse flipped the game with a decisive mid-half run and clutch shot making down the stretch. In a chaotic final minute, NKU held on to complete the comeback and secure an 84-81 win over IU Indy.
First Half
Jaguars Set the Tone Early
IU Indy attacked from the jump. Finley Woodward went right at LJ Wells for the first basket, then the Jaguars followed with two offensive rebounds, which led to a putback on the next trip.
Meanwhile, NKU struggled to get organized. Oday missed an early three, Gherezgher was beaten off the bounce, and just over two minutes in Horn called timeout down 6-0. The break did not help. NKU came out of it with a shot clock violation and, through four minutes, had just one field goal attempt and five turnovers. The Jaguars dictated pace with pressure and physicality while the Norse played sped up and sloppy.
Turnovers and Missed Free Throws Add Up
Even when NKU created chances, they left points on the table. Wells missed two early free throws and the Norse finished the half just 3-10 at the line. Combined with 11 turnovers, it made sustaining any run nearly impossible.
Finley Woodward found a rhythm offensively, scoring from midrange and inside, and IU Indy stayed active on the offensive glass to keep NKU out of transition. Even without D’Augustino for much of the first stretch, the Jaguars stayed in control and eventually pushed the margin to 22-9.
By halftime, IU Indy was shooting 53.1% and had controlled the flow for most of the half.
A Needed Push Before the Break
The final few minutes were about damage control. After D’Augustino’s floating jumper stretched the lead back to 11 at 36-25, NKU found a small spark. Dozier knocked down a three with just over two minutes left to trim it to nine and give the Norse a little life.
Then came the last possession. With the clock winding down, Oday pushed the ball instead of taking a three. He attacked the rim and finished as time expired, cutting the deficit to 36-27 heading into halftime.
It did not erase the sloppy start or the turnover issues, but it kept the game from slipping further and gave NKU something to build on in the second half.
Second Half
Trading Punches Out of the Locker Room
NKU got the exact start it needed. On the second possession of the half, Dan Gherezgher knocked down a three to cut it to 36-30.
IU Indy answered immediately with a three of its own, and the bigger issue early was second chances. The Jaguars were living on the offensive glass and extending possessions, keeping NKU from ever getting out in transition.
Wells had a couple opportunities but could not convert, and IU Indy stretched the margin to 42-34. Then came a quick two possession swing. D’Augustino scored on a backdoor cut late in the shot clock, then jumped a passing lane for a steal and converted in transition. Even after Gherezgher hit another three to steady things, Micah Davis buried one from deep on the other end to push it to 49-37.
NKU was making shots, but IU Indy kept responding.
Oday Flips the Energy
The turning point started with stops. Wells spun into the lane for a bucket to make it 49-39. On the next defensive stand, NKU forced a miss and Oday attacked in transition, finishing through contact for an and one to cut it to 49-42 with about 12 minutes left.After another stop, Oday went downhill again and earned another trip to the line, capping what became a 10-1 Norse run.
IU Indy briefly steadied itself when D’Augustino scored and completed an and one after Archer was beaten on the drive, but NKU kept applying pressure. Wells stepped into a three to cut it to three. On the next trip, he drove into traffic, got fouled, and knocked down free throws to make it a one point game.
First Lead and a Four Minute Surge
With just over nine minutes left, Gherezgher buried his third three of the night to give NKU its first lead at 55-53 and force an IU Indy timeout.
From there, the game tightened. Both teams were in the bonus early, and the middle stretch turned into free throws and half court execution. Dozier drilled a three to tie it at again at 64-64 with under six to play.
The defining stretch came just before the four minute media timeout. Wells split a pair at the line, but Dozier followed his miss with a putback. On the next possession, Dozier jumped a passing lane for a steal, and Gherezgher finished through contact for an and one. That sequence pushed NKU in front 71-66 and capped an 11-2 run over the previous four minutes.
Chaos in the Final 30 Seconds
Gherezgher added a driving layup late to keep NKU in control, but the final minute was anything but smooth.
With 31.9 seconds left, Dozier was fouled. During the sequence, Addison Archer came off the bench to celebrate, prompting a review. After sorting it out, Archer ultimately cost NKU 1 point because it was a 1 free throw technical.
D’Augustino answered with an uncontested layup, and on the very next possession NKU was whistled for a five second violation on the inbound. In a matter of seconds, the Jaguars had cut it to 81-76 with 18.5 left and real pressure back on the Norse.
Dozier stepped to the line and calmly buried two free throws to push the lead back to seven. IU Indy scored quickly again, and Wells was fouled on the ensuing possession far away from the ball, and officials took a look to see if it warranted anything more. After review, it was ruled a common foul. Wells split the pair. IU Indy scored one final time, but NKU handled the last inbound cleanly and let the clock expire.
Frantic. Uneasy. Not perfect. But after trailing by double digits in the second half, the Norse made just enough plays to finish off an 84-81 comeback win.
Final Numbers and Takeaways
Northern Kentucky and IU Indy followed a familiar script. Just like the first meeting, the Jaguars built a first-half cushion before the Norse flipped the game after the break with sharper execution and downhill pressure.
Free throws told a big part of the story. NKU struggled early, going just 3-10 in the first half, but completely changed that in the second. The Norse got to the line 20 times after halftime and knocked down 16. After a turnover-heavy opening half, NKU committed just 4 turnovers in the second half, a massive swing in control.
The biggest adjustment was simple and effective. NKU kept the ball in the middle of the floor, attacked downhill, and also played through LJ Wells in the post. That opened driving lanes for Donovan Oday and Dan Gherezgher, who consistently got paint touches in the second half. Oday finished with 26 points and Gherezgher added 24. Oday did not hit a three for the second straight game, but his downhill attacks were lethal, including back-to-back three-point plays the old-fashioned way that shifted momentum.
Still, Tae Dozier was the player of the game. He stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points on just 8 shots, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 turnovers, 2 steals, and 1 block. It was a controlled, dominant performance. Without Kael Robinson available, Dozier has embraced more perimeter opportunities. He hit 3 threes in this one and is now 12-25 from deep over his last four games. Through the first 23 games of the season, he had only three multi-three games. He now has one in each of the last four.
Horn had this to say about Dozier postgame with Jim Kelch and Rick Broering:
But I mean, to me, player of the game was Tae Dozier. I thought he was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. How about no turnovers in the game and 19 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and just made a ton, ton of big plays for us late. And he's the one guy, with Kael [Robinson] out, that's literally playing four positions for us right now, one through four at different times depending on what we're doing and what we're in.
LJ Wells was much more impactful after halftime. He was relatively quiet in the first half, but asserted himself in the second, finishing through contact and helping stabilize the offense when NKU needed control.
The 57-point second half was NKU’s highest-scoring half of the season, and they did it efficiently, shooting 64% from the field after the break. That kind of offensive explosion flipped a game that looked similar to the first meeting, with IU Indy leading at halftime. The Jaguars end the night 6-8 when leading at the half, but their pressing, up-tempo style is difficult to sustain for 40 minutes. As the pace wore on, cracks showed again.
Offensively, the Norse were intentional about targeting Maguire Mitchell, forcing him to defend in space and making him work on multiple possessions. With the win, Northern Kentucky improves to 5-7 on the road, another important step as they continue to navigate the back half of league play.
Northern Kentucky’s Key Players
Donovan Oday: 34 MIN, 26 PTS, 10-15 FG, 0-3 3PT, 6-7 FT, 3 REB, 2 PF, 3 AST, 2 TO, 3 BLK, 2 STL
Dan Gherezgher: 32 MIN, 24 PTS, 8-17 FG, 5-11 3PT, 3-5 FT, 5 REB, 1 PF, 5 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 0 STL
Tae Dozier: 36 MIN, 19 PTS, 5-8 FG, 3-4 3PT, 6-8 FT, 9 REB, 2 PF, 4 AST, 0 TO, 1 BLK, 2 STL
LJ Wells: 36 MIN, 11 PTS, 3-6 FG, 1-1 3PT, 4-9 FT, 7 REB, 2 PF, 2 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 1 STL
Ethan Elliott: 27 MIN, 2 PTS, 1-6 FG, 0-2 3PT, 0-1 FT, 3 REB, 2 PF, 3 AST, 4 TO, 1 BLK, 0 STL
IU Indy’s Key Players
Kyler D'Augustino: 35 MIN, 22 PTS, 9-18 FG, 0-2 3PT, 4-5 FT, 3 REB, 3 PF, 1 AST, 2 TO, 0 BLK, 1 STL
Jaxon Edwards: 29 MIN, 16 PTS, 5-9 FG, 0-0 3PT, 6-6 FT, 5 REB, 3 PF, 5 AST, 2 TO, 1 BLK, 2 STL
Finley Woodward: 32 MIN, 15 PTS, 7-11 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-3 FT, 6 REB, 3 PF, 3 AST, 3 TO, 1 BLK, 0 STL
Maguire Mitchell: 34 MIN, 14 PTS, 5-13 FG, 4-8 3PT, 0-0 FT, 5 REB, 4 PF, 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 BLK, 1 STL
Micah Davis: 22 MIN, 5 PTS, 2-6 FG, 1-4 3PT, 0-0 FT, 2 REB, 3 PF, 3 AST, 3 TO, 0 BLK, 2 STL
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|---|---|---|
| Field Goals (FG) | 32-68 (47.1%) | 28-54 (51.9%) |
| Three-Point FG (3PT) | 5-17 (29.4%) | 9-21 (42.9%) |
| Free Throws (FT) | 12-15 (80.0%) | 19-30 (63.3%) |
| Total Rebounds (Offensive) | 36 (15) | 34 (13) |
| Assists | 15 | 19 |
| Steals | 6 | 6 |
| Blocks | 4 | 5 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 15 |
| Points Off Turnovers | 17 | 13 |
| Fast Break Points | 11 | 17 |
| Points in the Paint | 50 | 38 |
| Personal Fouls | 25 | 17 |
| Largest Lead | 13 | 10 |
Up Next @ Truist Arena vs Purdue Fort Wayne 2/18 | 7pm
Northern Kentucky returns home Wednesday to face Purdue Fort Wayne in a key Horizon matchup, but first the Mastodons host IU Indy on Sunday. The Norse dropped the first meeting in Fort Wayne and will be looking to flip the script at Truist Arena, protect home court, and even the season series in a game that carries real late-season weight.
