Northern Kentucky wrapped up its third game in six days with a hard-earned comeback win over Boston University, climbing to 6–2 and extending its winning streak to five. The first half unfolded at BU’s preferred crawl, but the Norse completely flipped the game after halftime by cranking up their pressure, attacking the offensive glass, and finally pushing the pace. Here’s how the matchup played out and where NKU found the edge.

First Half

BU Slows the Game to a Crawl

Boston didn’t waste time showing what kind of afternoon it wanted. From the opening minutes, the Terriers walked the ball up, dug in defensively, and turned every possession into a halfcourt battle. NKU saw deep post catches, late-clock jumpers, and a pace that never budged above a jog. In Jim Kelch and Rick Broering's postgame conversation with Coach Horn, he knew this was coming:

“This game had the real potential to be a grinder. Nobody is better than Joe Jones at making the game hard and slowing it down.”

NKU kept trying to shake loose. Robinson knocked down a trail three to spark the crowd. Wells popped free on the baseline for a jumper. Oday worked his way into the lane for a tough pull-up. But every time the Norse seemed ready to build momentum, BU squeezed the tempo right back down.

Chance Gladden powered in several mid-range scores. Ben Defty carved out deep position around the rim, but NKU's plan was clear, front him in the post and make BU throw the ball over the top.

The Terriers’ discipline on defense kept NKU from getting clean looks or early offense. Even turnovers didn’t lead to runouts. BU immediately jammed the ball, waited for numbers, and walked it up. Horn summed up the first half cleanly:

“We looked unsure of ourselves, and that’s exactly how they want you to play.”

NKU headed to the locker room down 29–24, knowing the second half needed a different rhythm entirely.

Second Half

NKU Flips the Game by Turning Up the Pressure

The turning point didn’t sneak up on anyone, it hit all at once. NKU opened the half with more urgency, and when the Norse extended into their full court press, the entire afternoon changed.

Kael Robinson got things going with a quick jumper. Wells followed with a tip-in through traffic. Then the pressure started forcing mistakes, and the game finally sped up. BU suddenly had to handle traps, quicker passes, and a pace they’d spent 20 minutes avoiding.

The Run That Broke BU

From the first turnover to the final layup, NKU strung together the biggest swing of the game: a 21–4 burst that turned a 42–31 deficit into a 52–46 lead.

It rolled in waves:

• Gherezgher scored in transition, then buried a three.
• Oday attacked the paint and earned multiple trips to the line.
• Robinson knocked down a rhythm jumper.
• Wells cleaned up the offensive glass.
• Rakotonanahary and Dozier came in and changed the energy — cutting, crashing, defending.

Boston, which had controlled every beat earlier, suddenly looked rushed and uncomfortable. NKU kept the pressure on, and the building fed off every steal and putback as BU rushed to call timeouts.

Closing Time

Once the Norse took the lead, they didn’t relax. Gherezgher drilled another three after a challenge by the coaching staff. Dozier buried a corner three minutes later. Oday closed it out at the foul line. And NKU’s defense, now fully in rhythm, kept forcing BU into contested shots.

“If you’re going to be really good, you’ve got to win however you need to win. Sometimes that means grinding through a night where you shoot 38 percent but you fight, rebound, and make plays.”

NKU outscored BU 50–36 in the second half, ran past a team that wanted no part of playing fast, and finished off its fifth straight win, 74–65.

Final Numbers and Takeaways

Boston controlled the pace early, slowing the game to a crawl and taking NKU out of rhythm. The Norse looked heavy-legged in the first half, even airballing a couple of jumpers as they struggled to get comfortable. The one spark came late when Tae Dozier grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a fading jumper before the break, which gave NKU a small lift heading into halftime.

From there, NKU flipped the game by doing what it does best. The Norse created extra possessions, attacked the glass, and turned defense into energy. They finished with more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds, an unusual stat that produced 25 second chance points and completely shifted the momentum. The full court press added another layer, speeding BU up and finally knocking the game out of the slow pace the Terriers wanted.

Donovan Rakotonanahary was a major part of that shift. His activity on the boards, quick cuts, and defensive energy changed the entire feel of the second half. Horn summed it up simply.

“Donovan has been a game changer for us two games in a row."

NKU is also two for two on challenges this season. It came when Dozier walled up in transition. Officials initially ruled the ball out off NKU, but Dozier insisted he was not the last to touch it and the review confirmed it. BU later tried a challenge while trailing by eight with under three minutes left, hoping to flip an out of bounds call into an NKU turnover, but there was not enough evidence to overturn the original ruling.

Freshman guard Ethan Elliott continued to search for his scoring touch. He was scoreless for the week and is now 0-15 over his last three games, although he did total eight assists with only three turnovers in that stretch. NKU is working to help him settle into a more comfortable scoring role.

Despite the slow start, foul trouble, and shooting struggles, NKU found another way to win. Four players reached double figures again, reinforcing the idea that this group can win in different ways.

Northern Kentucky's Key Players

Dan Gherezgher: 33 MIN, 23 PTS, 8-20 FG, 4-11 3PT, 3-3 FT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 3 TO, 1 STL
LJ Wells: 30 MIN, 14 PTS, 5-10 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-3 FT, 5 REB, 3 TO, 1 BLK, 2 STL
Kael Robinson: 28 MIN, 11 PTS, 3-9 FG, 2-5 3PT, 3-4 FT, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 TO
Tae Dozier: 27 MIN, 5 PTS, 2-4 FG, 1-3 3PT, 6 REB, 5 AST, 0 TO, 2 BLK, 1 STL
Ethan Elliott: 20 MIN, 0 PTS, 0-5 FG, 0-3 3PT, 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 TO, 2 STL
Donovan Oday: 30 MIN, 16 PTS, 3-9 FG, 0-4 3PT, 10-13 FT, 3 REB, 3 AST, 1 TO, 3 STL
Donovan Rakotonanahary: 15 MIN, 5 PTS, 2-2 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-1 FT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 TO

Boston's Key Players

Chance Gladden: 36 MIN, 20 PTS, 7-9 FG, 1-1 3PT, 5-6 FT, 2 REB, 2 AST, 3 PF
Michael McNair: 32 MIN, 18 PTS, 6-9 FG, 3-5 3PT, 3-4 FT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 TO, 1 STL
Ben Defty: 29 MIN, 11 PTS, 3-4 FG, 0-0 3PT, 5-8 FT, 5 REB, 1 AST, 1 TO, 2 BLK, 1 STL
Ben Roy: 25 MIN, 2 PTS, 1-3 FG, 0-2 3PT, 0-0 FT, 1 REB, 1 AST, 2 TO, 1 STL
Sam Hughes: 28 MIN, 0 PTS, 0-4 FG, 0-2 3PT, 0-0 FT, 3 REB, 3 AST, 2 TO
Azmar Abdullah: 26 MIN, 7 PTS, 3-5 FG, 1-2 3PT, 0-0 FT, 1 REB, 1 AST, 3 TO
Malcolm Chimezie: 16 MIN, 7 PTS, 3-5 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-1 FT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 2 TO, 2 BLK, 1 STL

	Boston University	Northern Kentucky
Field Goals (FG)	23-41 (56.1%)	23-60 (38.3%)
Three-Point FG (3PT)	5-13 (38.5%)	8-29 (27.6%)
Free Throws (FT)	14-19 (73.7%)	20-24 (83.3%)
Total Rebounds (Offensive)	24 (6)	33 (18)
Assists	12	11
Steals	4	10
Blocks	4	3
Turnovers	16	11
Points Off Turnovers	12	19
Fast Break Points	2	3
Points in the Paint	34	28
Personal Fouls	24	17
Largest Lead	11	10

Up Next- December 3rd @ Truist Arena vs Cleveland State

Northern Kentucky now turns its attention to a brief dip into Horizon League play on Wednesday when Cleveland State comes to Truist Arena. The Vikings have an almost entirely new roster, and we will break down their revamped group and key tendencies in our full pregame scouting report next week.

Follow all the action with Jim Kelch and Rick Broering on FOX 1360 with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 pm on December 3rd! You can also watch the game on ESPN+.