Slow Start Sinks NKU on Senior Night in Youngstown, 64-58
Northern Kentucky dug itself a massive hole early on Youngstown State’s senior night, scoring just 15 points in the first half and trailing by 20 at one point before mounting a furious comeback after the break. The Norse showed real fight over the final 20 minutes, trimming the deficit to a single possession in the closing seconds, but the early damage proved too much to overcome in a 64-58 loss.
First Half
Sloppy Start, Penguins Strike First
Youngstown State wasted no time, knocking down a three on the opening possession and immediately putting NKU on its heels. Donovan Oday forced an early wild look and then an attempted alley-oop lob turned into a turnover, setting the tone for a disjointed opening stretch. Oday did get the Norse on the board in transition with an and-one finish, but the missed free throw summed up the early rhythm.
By the first media timeout, it was already 9-4 after an NKU foul and a goaltend gifted YSU extra points. The Norse simply could not get organized offensively. Two offensive fouls in the first six minutes, one on Oday and one on Dan Gherezgher, stalled any hope of momentum. NKU had just four points through the opening six minutes and committed six turnovers in the first seven minutes.
Offensive Fouls and Empty Trips Pile Up
The drought stretched to five full minutes during an 11-0 Youngstown State run that forced Darrin Horn to burn a timeout with the score sitting at 16-4. NKU was rushing shots at the rim, forcing drives into traffic, and settling for quick perimeter looks.
The Norse shot just 6-30 from the field in the half, including 2-13 from three and 1-4 at the line. They turned it over 12 times and committed 10 fouls, with half of those coming on the offensive end. At one point, Elliott picked up the team’s third offensive foul on a charge, and later Shawn Nelson was whistled for another that marked NKU’s fourth offensive foul of the half.
Even when Tae Dozier knocked down a three to end the scoring drought, any sign of life was quickly muted. Both teams were loose with the ball early, NKU with eight turnovers and YSU with six in the first ten minutes, but the difference was shot-making. Bryson Dawkins poured in 12 first-half points on 5-7 shooting, and Imanuel Zorgvol made his presence felt defensively with multiple blocks and altered shots around the rim.
Historically Low Output
As the half wore on, frustration only grew. Oday struggled mightily, finishing 2-11 from the field and 1-6 from three in the opening 20 minutes. NKU never found any sustained rhythm and did not score on back-to-back possessions the entire half. Every bucket was followed by a miss, a turnover, or a whistle.
A late 7-0 YSU run pushed the margin to 20, fueled largely by blown finishes at the rim and rushed decisions in transition. Cris Carroll added to the damage, and the Penguins closed the half shooting 41.4% from the field while holding NKU to just 20.0%.
At the break, it was 35-15, marking NKU’s lowest scoring half of the season. The Norse managed only 15 points, never found consecutive scoring trips, and spent the entire 20 minutes chasing a game that slipped away almost immediately.
Second Half
Horn Sends a Message, Norse Respond
Dan Gherezgher and LJ Wells did not start the second half, a clear message after a 15-point opening 20 minutes. The response was immediate. Tae Dozier crashed the offensive glass for a putback, then NKU trapped just over half-court to force a turnover and inject life into the building.
Bryce Darbyshire grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and finished. Kael Robinson knocked down a three to make it 37-23, and Donovan Oday’s triple trimmed it to 11. When Robinson was fouled on a three and converted all three free throws, it was suddenly 39-29 with 15:30 to play. The energy had flipped.
Oday Heats Up, YSU Tightens
Gherezgher re-entered about six minutes into the half and helped steady things. He split a pair at the line, Wells made his first appearance of the half and grabbed an offensive board, and Dan buried a three to make it a nine-point game. With 13 minutes left, YSU was already sitting on seven team fouls.
Oday kept attacking. He hit both free throws to make it a 10-point game, then pushed in transition for a finger roll to cut it to eight. After a swipe steal by Gherezgher, Oday drilled a three to make it 49-42. Moments later he knocked down another transition three to cut it to six at 51-45. YSU struggled to find clean offense in that stretch, going cold from deep in the second half, but a couple of timely baskets and an Elliott turnover that led to a transition score kept the Norse from fully drawing even.
Robinson and Wells Keep It Tight
Out of a timeout, Robinson finished through contact to bring NKU back within six with five minutes left. The Norse got a stop but then Gherezgher dribbled it off his foot for the team’s 17th turnover, a brutal empty possession in a tight game.
Dozier answered with a steal and transition dunk to cut it to six again. Wells finally broke through with a bucket to make it 56-52 with 2:30 remaining, forcing a YSU timeout. After another defensive stop that included an offensive foul on a screen by YSU, Wells scored again off an offensive rebound to make it 58-54 with 1:30 left. NKU kept punching.
Late Swings and a Final Push
Oday had a clean look from three that would have cut it to one but missed. Cris Carroll answered on the other end to push the margin back to six. Then came the moment that gave NKU one last breath.
After a Robinson miss, the Norse challenged an out-of-bounds call down six with 36.6 seconds left and won it. Robinson immediately buried a deep three to cut it to three with 35 seconds remaining. NKU went for a steal on the inbound but fouled Carroll, who made both free throws to stretch it back to five.
Robinson missed a tough three with about 20 seconds left. Blackshear missed both free throws, and Robinson pushed in transition and drew a foul with 13.2 seconds remaining. He split the pair, limped to the sideline after the make, and YSU closed it out at the line.
NKU outscored YSU 43-29 in the second half, shooting 36.8% after the break compared to 20.0% in the first, but the early hole proved too deep in a 64-58 final.
Final Numbers and Takeaways
Northern Kentucky was buried by its worst half of the season. The Norse scored just 15 points before the break and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to climb out of that hole. They made it interesting late, but never led, as Youngstown State controlled the game from the opening possession on senior night.
Defensively, YSU switched almost everything and showed hard digs and late doubles when LJ Wells caught it on the block. Wells missed a few early opportunities and never really found a rhythm. The Penguins were also comfortable shrinking the floor off Ethan Elliott, daring him to be aggressive as a scorer. Elliott had moments, but the space around the rim consistently felt crowded.
Former Norse, Imanuel Zorgvol played a major role in the first-half struggles. He finished with four blocks, most of them coming early, and altered several other attempts. Even when he was not blocking shots, he walled off the paint and made clean finishes difficult.
Potential Horizon League Player of the Year Cris Carroll did not have his most efficient night from the field, but he still finished with 15 points and went 10-12 at the line. That was part of the bigger difference. Youngstown State attempted 26 free throws, while NKU missed eight of its own. In a six-point game, those empty trips loomed large.
Turnovers were a major issue again. NKU finished with 18, several of them coming on offensive fouls in the first half that completely stalled momentum. LJ Wells, Dan Gherezgher, and Donovan Oday are central to the Norse offense, but the struggles were evident. The trio combined to shoot 9-38 from the field, just 23.7%, and turned it over 10 times.
Horn sent a message to start the second half, sitting Wells and Gherezgher out of the locker room. After the game he addressed that decision directly:
“It’s interesting that we sit LJ and Dan to start the second half and we play really well. That’s not by accident. We needed a response, and I thought some other guys gave us that. We just didn’t come out in the first half with the physicality and edge you have to have in a game like this.”
On the injury front, Donovan Oday was visibly flexing his left thumb throughout the game. He continued to play through it, but it was noticeable.
Kael Robinson also limped off in the closing seconds. He is expected to need ankle surgery after the season and appeared to tweak it late. Robinson split a pair of free throws with 13.2 seconds left, then exited and did not return. It is something to monitor heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Northern Kentucky’s Key Players
Donovan Oday: 36 MIN, 18 PTS, 6-23 FG, 4-15 3PT, 2-5 FT, 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 4 PF, 4 TO
Kael Robinson: 29 MIN, 13 PTS, 3-15 FG, 2-8 3PT, 5-6 FT, 7 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 4 PF, 2 TO
Tae Dozier: 29 MIN, 8 PTS, 3-5 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-1 FT, 11 REB, 2 STL, 4 PF, 2 TO
Ethan Elliott: 39 MIN, 6 PTS, 3-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-0 FT, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 2 PF, 2 TO
Dan Gherezgher: 21 MIN, 5 PTS, 1-7 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-5 FT, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2 PF, 3 TO
LJ Wells: 25 MIN, 4 PTS, 2-8 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-1 FT, 6 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2 PF, 3 TO
Youngstown State’s Key Players
Bryson Dawkins: 34 MIN, 22 PTS, 9-12 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3-6 FT, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 PF, 1 TO
Cris Carroll: 35 MIN, 15 PTS, 2-10 FG, 1-7 3PT, 10-12 FT, 10 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 4 PF, 5 TO
Imanuel Zorgvol: 20 MIN, 7 PTS, 3-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-2 FT, 9 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 4 BLK, 3 PF, 2 TO
Rontavious Blackshear: 27 MIN, 7 PTS, 2-7 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-4 FT, 2 REB, 2 STL, 1 PF, 2 TO
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|---|---|---|
| Field Goals (FG) | 21-50 (42.0%) | 20-68 (29.4%) |
| Three-Point FG (3PT) | 5-20 (25.0%) | 8-31 (25.8%) |
| Free Throws (FT) | 17-26 (65.4%) | 10-18 (55.6%) |
| Total Rebounds (Offensive) | 40 (8) | 43 (12) |
| Assists | 13 | 11 |
| Steals | 9 | 8 |
| Blocks | 6 | 2 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 18 |
| Points Off Turnovers | 14 | 17 |
| Fast Break Points | 6 | 12 |
| Points in the Paint | 28 | 20 |
| Personal Fouls | 19 | 21 |
| Largest Lead | 21 | 0 |
Up Next- @ Cleveland State 2/25 | 7pm
NKU heads to Cleveland State for the second-to-last game of the regular season. The Norse beat the Vikings 95-80 in early December, but CSU’s Horizon League run has been anything but steady. They dropped four straight to open 2026, responded with five consecutive wins, and now enter this matchup on a five-game losing streak. For NKU, it’s a quick turnaround and another road test with postseason positioning still in play.
