NKU began Horizon League play on Wednesday night as they welcomed Cleveland State in the showdown of the Vikings. CSU ended the season for the Norse last year and it was obvious the motivation for a bit of retaliation was there as Northern Kentucky was clicking on all cylinders in a 95-80 win at Truist Arena. Northern Kentucky remains undefeated at home and moves the consecutive win total to six with this victory.
NKU has struggled to start quickly on the offensive end in recent games but there was no such occurrence in this one. Tae Dozier got the night started with a triple and then Kael Robinson took over. The New Zealand native scored or assisted on the next 10 points for NKU, capping the personal run off with a jump pass to Dozier for a fast break slam. The momentum carried over into the first media timeout as Northern Kentucky forced a Vikings shot clock violation and took a 13-5 lead in the first few minutes.
Cleveland State took the first blow and fought back by forcing NKU into turnovers and foul trouble. Priest Ryan scored consecutive buckets for the visiting team and Tre Beard knocked down a triple in his first game back from a three game absence. The experience for Northern Kentucky refused to be rattled by the momentum. Robinson hit a three, LJ Wells made a spinning layup, and Donovan Oday nailed two shots in a row to give NKU the first double digit lead of the game.
Dan Gherezgher and and Ethan Elliot continued to give the Norse faithful something to cheer for as they helped the lead balloon to 14. Paint scores were the emphasis down the stretch as Wells continued his great night inside and Dozier ended the half, like he started it, with a three point play, this one the old fashioned way to send Northern Kentucky to the half with a 47-33 lead.
Both teams shot well from the perimeter in the opening half, but CSU was only able to register three makes inside the arc in the first half. NKU was able to spread it around, shooting over 50% overall and from deep. All but two players who saw time in the game to that point were able to score. NKU head coach Darrin Horn said the offensive success requires tough makes but also taking advantage of the easy looks.
“You can’t score that many points if you don’t get a lot of easy baskets. Transition, in the paint, on the offensive glass, and getting to the foul line. We are doing a good job of that in these games, so that’s really good to see.”
CSU came out of the locker room motivated to make noise in the second half. They found success from range to start the half. After three triples and eight points for David Giddens, NKU needed a timeout as a 14 point halftime lead had evaporated to just three. The Vikings even recaptured the lead at 52-51.
Senior LJ Wells continued to be a force and lead NKU after every run that CSU made. Wells drew two consecutive trips to the charity stripe and displayed his passing ability with a nice dish to Robinson for a four point lead. The next stretch was all Norse as they drained three triples and capped the run with a Donovan Oday thunderous slam. The displeasure led to a Vikings technical foul which allowed NKU to regain a double digit lead.
The story of the night was Wells who put a punctuation on the night for Northern Kentucky as an and-one was followed by a steal and fast break slam from the senior to put NKU up 17 points, a lead they maintained comfortably to the final buzzer. Wells had a huge night as he totaled 21 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks. He was a large part of the 40-16 edge the Norse had in the paint. Coach Horn said it was clear what type of impact Wells had for his team on Wednesday.
“This is a player’s game and the team that has the best player usually has the best chance and we had the best player by far on the court tonight. He was absolutely unbelievable. A man among boys. The story of the game tonight is how LJ Wells played.”
Wells and NKU take a six game win streak on the road as they travel to play Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday for another Horizon League matchup. They’ll be playing for their second road win of the season and the first of the young Horizon League season. The game will tip-off at 2 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
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