Norse Push the Pace and Power Past Patriots with 101–73 Win
After dropping both games on their Tennessee swing, Northern Kentucky came home needing a reset. Sunday’s matchup with the University of the Cumberlands offered exactly that: a chance to regroup, tighten the details, and get back to playing aggressive. It was an NAIA opponent, but a top-12 one riding an 8–0 start, and it gave the Norse a timely chance to steady themselves, find their pace again, and lean on their depth. What followed was a game that started with some leftover sloppiness, then gradually turned into the kind of performance NKU needed before heading back on the road.
First Half
Early Energy and Early Turnovers
Northern Kentucky opened with pace, but not without some sloppiness. The Norse had four turnovers in the first four minutes, most of them unforced, which kept them from turning their defensive pressure into clean scoring chances right away.
Even with the miscues, NKU still found early success: Gherezgher got a a tip-in after his own miss to start the scoring, and Donovan Oday followed a steal with a transition finish to put NKU up 4–0. Cumberlands capitalized on a couple of those giveaways with a dunk and a wing three, tying the game at 7–7, but once NKU settled down, the mistakes tapered off and the rhythm returned.
Cumberlands’ Hot Perimeter Stretch
Right at the 15-minute mark, the Patriots pieced together their strongest run of the half. Back-to-back threes from Morrice and Williams, followed by a mid-post jumper, pushed them ahead 15–9.
Runout After Runout
NKU’s defensive pressure started to cash in. Elliott buried a catch-and-shoot three to make it 20–15. Oday scored in transition again, Wells hammered home a dunk, and NKU ripped off a 17–4 stretch fueled almost entirely by clean stops and safer ballhandling.
By the under-10 timeout, the Norse led 31–19. Gherezgher hit a mid-range jumper, Oday added a wing three, and Wells knocked down two free throws to keep the margin in double digits. Cumberlands scored late on second-chance looks, but NKU still took a 42–31 lead into the break.
Second Half
Immediate Knockout Run
NKU came out of the locker room with authority. Gherezgher drilled a top-of-the-key three, Elliott scored on back-to-back runouts, and Oday punctuated it with a dunk off a Wells steal. Suddenly the lead was 49–31, and the Patriots had no answers for NKU’s pace. Elliott then added a transition layup and another three, wrapping up a 13–2 burst that stretched the margin to 54–31.
Patriots’ Brief Push
Cumberlands pushed back with a small run behind Jones, Williams, and an offensive rebound stretch from Harris, trimming the gap to 16. But NKU’s offense kept flowing, and the Patriots’ momentum never grew past that point.
Norse Weapons From Everywhere
Dozier scored twice, then Bryce Darbyshire walked in and splashed back-to-back wide open threes to pad the lead beyond 20 again. Robinson got going late and joined the burst with a transition finish and a clean catch-and-shoot three off an Elliott assist.
Closing the Door
The bench handled the final minutes with composure. Nelson knocked down a tough and one fade away jump shot, Gherezgher added a pair of downhill finishes, and Minor capped the afternoon with a late layup as NKU crossed the 100-point mark. The Norse outscored Cumberlands by 17 after the break, scoring 59 second-half points and rolling to a 101–73 win.
Final Numbers and Takeaways
All five NKU starters reached double figures, and once Cumberlands’ early burst faded, the Norse settled in and turned every defensive stop into a runout. The pace never slowed, and that’s where NKU looked its best all afternoon.
Wells bounced back in a big way, coming close to a rare triple-double with his mix of scoring, rebounding, and an eye-popping seven steals. It was the most steals by a Norse player since Sam Vinson had eight against Miami-Hamilton on December 18, 2022.
Kael Robinson found his rhythm late, and both he and Shawn Nelson are still carving out where they fit best within this rotation and how they can impact the game consistently. It is still very much a feeling out time for Robinson and Nelson, but it seems like Dozier has found his role as the sixth man who can get a couple buckets on offense and play solid defense.
A congratulations is due to NKU Women’s Volleyball, who clinched the Horizon League regular-season title and secured the top seed in the conference tournament and were honored at halftime in this game. It’s the program’s first Horizon League regular-season crown, and they’ll now host the league championship at Truist Arena from November 21–23. Congrats to Coach Liz Hart and the entire group on a huge milestone!
Northern Kentucky – Key Players
LJ Wells: 27 MIN, 15 PTS, 6–10 FG, 1–2 3PT, 2–3 FT, 8 REB, 1 AST, 1 TO, 7 STL
Kael Robinson: 25 MIN, 12 PTS, 5–7 FG, 2–4 3PT, 0–0 FT, 5 REB, 2 AST, 2 TO, 2 STL
Ethan Elliott: 27 MIN, 14 PTS, 6–11 FG, 2–5 3PT, 0–0 FT, 3 REB, 5 AST
Dan Gherezgher: 24 MIN, 18 PTS, 8–16 FG, 2–5 3PT, 0–0 FT, 2 REB, 3 AST, 2 TO
Donovan Oday: 27 MIN, 19 PTS, 7–8 FG, 2–2 3PT, 3–4 FT, 5 REB, 2 AST, 0 TO, 3 STL
Addison Archer: 6 MIN, 0 PTS, 0–1 FG, 0–0 3PT, 0–0 FT, 1 REB, 2 TO
Shawn Nelson: 11 MIN, 4 PTS, 2–3 FG, 0–1 3PT, 0–1 FT, 1 REB, 2 AST, 1 TO, 1 STL
Ryan Tolliver: 3 MIN, 0 PTS, 0–0 FG, 0–0 3PT, 0–0 FT, 1 REB, 1 TO
Donovan Rakotonanahary: 10 MIN, 2 PTS, 1–3 FG, 0–0 3PT, 0–0 FT, 4 REB
Bryce Darbyshire: 17 MIN, 7 PTS, 2–4 FG, 2–2 3PT, 1–2 FT, 3 REB
Mitchel Minor: 1 MIN, 2 PTS, 1–1 FG
Tae Dozier: 22 MIN, 8 PTS, 3–6 FG, 1–4 3PT, 1–2 FT, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL
Cumberlands (KY) – Key Players
Malachi Robinson: 20 MIN, 0 PTS, 0–6 FG, 0–1 3PT, 0–0 FT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 2 TO, 1 STL, 2 BLK
Javecckio Thomas: 29 MIN, 15 PTS, 6–10 FG, 0–2 3PT, 3–5 FT, 7 REB, 4 AST, 1 TO, 3 STL
Brady Bell: 22 MIN, 5 PTS, 2–6 FG, 1–4 3PT, 0–0 FT, 4 REB, 0 AST, 3 TO
Andrew McConnell: 29 MIN, 20 PTS, 7–13 FG, 6–11 3PT, 0–0 FT, 6 REB, 1 AST, 3 TO
Kyle Duke: 21 MIN, 5 PTS, 2–9 FG, 0–4 3PT, 1–1 FT, 2 REB, 1 AST, 0 TO
Ikemba Otuonye: 9 MIN, 11 PTS, 5–7 FG, 0–0 3PT, 1–1 FT, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1 TO
Anthony Harris: 21 MIN, 6 PTS, 3–6 FG, 0–1 3PT, 0–0 FT, 9 REB, 1 AST, 2 TO, 1 BLK
Brant Smithers: 18 MIN, 11 PTS, 4–10 FG, 3–7 3PT, 0–0 FT, 0 REB, 0 AST, 3 TO
Tanner Walton: 14 MIN, 0 PTS, 0–1 FG, 0–0 3PT, 0–0 FT, 2 REB, 1 TO
Cumberlands
|
Northern Kentucky
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals (FG) | 29-74 (39.2%) | 41-70 (58.6%) |
| Three-Point FG (3PT) | 10-32 (31.3%) | 12-25 (48.0%) |
| Free Throws (FT) | 5-7 (71.4%) | 7-12 (58.3%) |
| Total Rebounds (Offensive) | 40 (18) | 36 (9) |
| Assists | 14 | 19 |
| Steals | 4 | 13 |
| Blocks | 3 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 9 |
| Points Off Turnovers | 7 | 24 |
| Fast Break Points | 2 | 34 |
| Points in the Paint | 34 | 56 |
| Personal Fouls | 14 | 15 |
| Largest Lead | 6 | 30 |
Up Next- Nov 20th @ Central Michigan 7 pm
NKU now heads to Central Michigan, another 2–2 team sitting at No. 274 on KenPom. The Chippewas are coming off a win over Coppin State and opened their season with a victory against Appalachian State. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Look for the pregame coverage and scouting report before Thursdays game.
