NKU’s Scott Bibbins against Xavier

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team will play an exhibition game at 7 p.m. this Saturday against the University of Cincinnati at the Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center.

The game will be broadcast live on WIOK (107.5 FM) and can also be heard on the Internet at www.nku.edu/~athletics.

NKU opened its exhibition schedule last Saturday night with a 78-44 loss at Xavier. Brian Thornton scored 22 points to lead the Musketeers.

Stanley Burrell added 13 points and six assists for Xavier, which shot 57.1 percent from the field. The taller Musketeers won the rebounding battle by a 43-30 margin and held NKU to 26.3 percent shooting from the field.

Junior forward Kevin Reinhardt led NKU with 13 points and nine rebounds, while teammate Aaron Smith added nine points. The Norse, however, were unable to overcome a slow start and trailed 42-17 at halftime.

NKU made just 18.5 percent of its shots in the first half, including 0-for-11 shooting from 3-point range. Thornton scored 13 points before halftime by making all five of his attempts from the field.

Kevin Schappell scored eight points for NKU, and Vincent Humphrey added six points in his Norse debut. Freshman point guard Scott Bibbins dished out three assists and had two steals for NKU.

NKU/UC SERIES: NKU and UC met seven times in regular-season contests from 1981-1988, and the Bearcats hold a 7-0 lead against the Norse in the all-time series.

After the 1988-89 season, however, UC dropped the series against NKU to boost its strength of schedule. The Bearcats do not play non-Division I opponents in the regular season because of the RPI ratings that help determine NCAA Tournament berths.

LAST SEASON’S EXHIBITION AGAINST UC: On Nov. 8, 2004, the inside punch of Eric Hicks and Jason Maxiell led Cincinnati to a 103-64 victory over NKU at the Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center.

Hicks netted 19 of his game-high 29 points in the first half as Cincinnati bolted out to a 43-25 lead. Hicks controlled the inside and was 9-for-12 from the field during the first 20 minutes and finished with 13 rebounds.

Maxiell scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and added eight rebounds. The Bearcats - who built a 22-3 lead just 10 minutes into the game - used a 48-33 advantage on the boards to coast past NKU.

Harrison Morton scored 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field to lead NKU. Mike Kelsey netted 14 points for NKU, but the Cincinnati defense constantly pressured the Norse senior guard and allowed few open looks.

James White added 18 points and six rebounds for Cincinnati, while Jihad Muhammad finished with 14 points and three assists. The Bearcats shot 59.5 percent from the field in the second half and limited NKU to 7-for-25 shooting from 3-point range.