Pregame Preview: Northern Kentucky (14-15, 9-9 Horizon) at Purdue Fort Wayne (19-10, 12-6 Horizon)
In a thrilling Horizon League matchup on New Year's Day, Northern Kentucky secured a nail-biting 69-68 overtime victory over Purdue Fort Wayne at Truist Arena. The game was a tale of two halves, with PFW taking control early, only for NKU to storm back in the second half and ultimately clinch the win in the final seconds of overtime. Before previewing the rematch and scouting report for the February 27th game, let's review the first matchup.
First Half:
Purdue Fort Wayne started strong, setting the tone with efficient three-point shooting, connecting on 7-of-19 (36.8%) attempts in the half. The Mastodons controlled much of the first half, using their perimeter shooting and fast-break opportunities to build a 12-point lead late in the period. Jalen Jackson and Quinton Morton-Robertson led the charge, helping PFW to a 36-30 halftime advantage. Meanwhile, Northern Kentucky struggled to find consistent offense outside of Trey Robinson, who accounted for key buckets to keep the Norse within striking distance.
Second Half:
Northern Kentucky emerged from the locker room with renewed urgency, tightening their defense and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities. Sam Vinson and Hubertas Pivorius hit timely three-pointers as NKU slowly chipped away at PFW’s lead. The Mastodons’ shooting cooled off to 36% in the second half, allowing NKU to seize momentum. In the closing moments, PFW clung to a narrow lead, but Robinson and Vinson stepped up with crucial baskets, giving NKU a lead. However, Maximus Nelson buried a clutch three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining, and on the other end, Robinson’s shot resulted in a wedgie at the buzzer, forcing overtime at 62-62.
Overtime:
The extra period was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams battling exhaustion and defensive pressure. PFW briefly grabbed a 68-66 lead after a Jalen Jackson jumper, but NKU later answered with a free throw from Vinson to cut the deficit to one. A crucial defensive stand led to Keeyan Itejere’s game-winning layup off of a post-up feed from Vinson in the final seconds, putting NKU up 69-68. PFW had one final opportunity, but Rasheed Bello’s step-back, buzzer-beating three-point attempt fell short, sealing the Norse’s victory.
Summary:
In a game defined by momentum swings and clutch plays, Northern Kentucky displayed resilience in overcoming a double-digit deficit to secure a crucial Horizon League win. Trey Robinson’s 26-point performance was pivotal, while PFW’s strong first half was ultimately undone by NKU’s second-half adjustments and late-game execution.
Scouting Report
#1 Jalen Jackson: Junior Guard 6'2"
Season Averages (31.3 MIN, 19.2 PPG, 4.1 REB, 3.2 AST)
The two-time Horizon League Player of the Week struggled in the first matchup despite scoring 17 points as he shot just 7-for-18 from the field and 1-for-5 from three. Anytime an opponent takes more shots than they score points, that’s a strong defensive effort—especially against the team's best scorer.
Jackson is the Mastodon's most well rounded player, as he leads the team in scoring and is second on the team in steals with 49. He had some very strong finishes at the rim against NKU, and is at his best when he is driving to the rim in transition or coming off of ball screens. He was not very affective against fist in the first matchup, only scoring 9 points in the half court, but was very efficient in transition scoring 8.
#0 Rasheed Bello: Senior Guard 6'0"
Season Averages (32.9 MIN, 16.0 PPG, 2.5 REB, 4.3 AST)
The lefty is coming off a 19-point, 8-assist game in an 80-66 win against Oakland on Senior Night. Bello amassed 1,000 points as a Mastodon in that win, reaching the milestone in just under two full seasons. He is currently on a six-game scoring tear, averaging 22.5 PPG during that stretch. Rasheed is another PFW guard who is most effective when coming off high ball screens, either attacking the rim or setting up teammates. He boasts a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season. He is also a lethal catch and shoot three point shooter where he is over 43% on the season.
#10 Corey Hadnot II: Sophomore Guard 6'3"
Season Averages (22.6 MIN, 9.7 PPG, 1.6 REB, 1.7 AST)
Hadnot is primarily the sixth man for this team after making the Horizon League All-Freshman Team last season. For a team that relies heavily on three-point shooting, he fits the mold, shooting over 40% from beyond the arc this season.
#32 Eric Mulder: Junior Forward 6'8"
Season Averages (24.6 MIN, 9.0 PPG, 6.9 REB, 0.1 AST)
Mulder is Purdue Fort Wayne's most effective scoring forward. He did not play in the previous matchup due to an injury that kept him out 8 games, but does most of his damage on the offensive glass, which is where NKU has struggled defensively. Nearly 30% of his points this season have come from offensive rebounding putbacks.
#3 Quinton Morton-Robertson: Graduate Student Guard 5'8"
Season Averages (30.5 MIN, 8.2 PPG, 2.5 REB, 2.8 AST)
Quinton is the prototypical PFW player. He is a 37% three point shooter on the season and 71% of his shots on the year have been from three. He led the team in scoring in the previous matchup with 19 points on 4-8 from three. Due to his size, he can be a defensive liability in pick-and-roll situations, where opponents are shooting over 60% against him.
#7 Chandler Cuthrell and #11 Maximus Nelson are both forwards and have very similar roles, despite Nelson starting every game this season and Cuthrell coming off the bench. Both players average over seven points per game, but Nelson is the better three-point shooter at 40.9%, compared to Cuthrell’s 25.8%. They both are solid offensive players, but can be exploited defensively in the post.
Key Stats
- Win Out For No. 2 Seed: PFW has the opportunity to control its own destiny for the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League Tournament if they defeat NKU and then win at Cleveland State to close out the season.
- Live and Die by the 3: This season, 39% of PFW’s total points have come from beyond the arc, ranking 22nd in the nation. In their 12 Horizon League wins, they are shooting 41.23% from three, but in their six losses, that number drops to just 31.09%.
- Lethal Offense: PFW ranks 12th in the country in Points Per Possession at 1.04, which is a key reason they push the tempo (1st in the Horizon League). Their goal is to generate more possessions with their efficient offense to maximize scoring opportunities.
