 |
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - If making a 3-point shot is indeed contagious, Northern Kentucky University started an epidemic Tuesday night in Regents Hall. After scoring just two points during the opening seven minutes of play against Tiffin (Ohio), NKU turned to its outside shooters, and the long-range bombers more than obliged. The Norse tied a school record by draining 18 3-point field goals en route to an 89-51 shellacking of Tiffin. NKU also made 18 3-pointers on Dec. 16, 1991, during a 126-120 overtime win at Oakland City (Ind.). The Norse made nine 3-pointers in each half Tuesday night and rolled to the non-conference win over Tiffin (0-7). "We just had some open looks tonight and knocked them down. We made the extra passes and that’s why we got open looks," said senior guard Kevin Schappell, who made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. "We started out a little slow, but it was a good game for us going into this two-week break (for exams). We have a lot of confidence right now because we had some open looks, and we knocked them down." NKU (5-2) connected on 54.5 percent (18-for-33) of its 3-point attempts. All of this after scoring just a single basket during the first seven minutes. "We started very slowly. It was colder in here than it was outside," said NKU head coach Dave Bezold. "The next group came out and Harrison Morton led them, and they helped build a nice little lead and helped us relax. We went on from there for a nice victory." Morton, the 6-foot-4 junior from Lexington, Ky., scored 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field. He also grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists and had two steals in 20 minutes of action. "Everybody gave a good effort and shared the ball like they are supposed to, and we came out with a victory,” Morton said after NKU collected 23 assists as a team.
NKU closed the first half with a 23-2 run to take a 40-15 lead into the locker room. Vincent Humphrey started the spurt by hitting a leaning 3-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock was about to expire. Morton followed by making a pair of 3-pointers, and Steven Wright continued the barrage by also burying a couple of treys from downtown. "Once someone hits a shot from the outside, it seems like it's contagious and everyone follows," Bezold said. "Tiffin took away the drive and a lot of our post-up game, so we were going to have to make shots. We did and that's why you see us making 18 threes." NKU built a 30-point lead (53-23) with 14:06 left in the game on a conventional three-point play by Wright that was anything but routine. The 6-3 senior guard stole the ball and raced down the floor with Tiffin's Lamont Ellis charging in pursuit. Wright soared to the rim as Ellis attempted to block the shot, and the Bowling Green State transfer brought the NKU crowd to its feet by dunking the ball over Ellis while being fouled. He converted the free throw for a 53-23 lead, and the only drama remaining was if NKU could tie or break the school record for 3-pointers made in a game. Schappell drained a 3-pointer with 2:12 remaining for the Norse's 16th trey. Mark Hawkins then hit another trey with 57 seconds left to make it 17 3-pointers, and the junior guard from Finneytown High School tied the NKU record with 34 ticks remaining when he found the bottom of the net with another 3-pointer. Hawkins finished with 15 points, all coming on 3-point field goals. Wright scored 13 points, dished out six assists and grabbed five rebounds for NKU, which held Tiffin without a 3-point field goal (0-for-9). "We played good defense. They didn’t get many open looks," Schappell said. "They always had a hand in their face. They didn’t get many open shots." James Cripe added nine points and three blocked shots for NKU, while teammate Anthony Teague scored eight points. Darral Payton scored five points for the Norse, who are 2-0 all-time against Tiffin. NKU takes next week off for exams. The Norse will next be in action Dec. 19 on the road against nationally ranked Findlay in a key regional game. |
