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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team travels to Big Rapids, Mich., to meet Ferris State at 1 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on WIOK (107.5 FM) and can be heard on the Internet at www.nkunorse.com. NKU is 1-1 after splitting two games in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic last week in Regents Hall. The Norse opened the season with an 82-68 win over UC-Clermont on Nov. 16. The next evening, NKU dropped a 66-53 decision to No. 5 Findlay. BACK IN ACTION: The NCAA granted NKU’s Anthony Teague a season-of-competition waiver to play another year last Friday, and the 6-foot-5 senior made the most of the opportunity in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. Teague scored 13 points against Findlay on Saturday and was named NKU’s most outstanding player for the two-day John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. He enters this weekend averaging 10.0 points per game and has made 66.7 percent of his 3-point attempts. AWARD WINNER: Norse senior forward Vincent Humphrey earned the John L. Griffin Hustle Award for his play during the two-day event. Humphrey netted 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds during NKU’s 82-68 win over UC-Clermont. He averages 10.5 ppg and 4.5 rebounds per contest. IMMEDIATE IMPACT: NKU freshman guard Dennis Gagai leads NKU in scoring at 12.0 ppg. He is shooting 58.8 percent from the field and averages 3.5 rebounds per game. OILER PAYBACK: Josh Bostic made sure Findlay gained its measure of revenge against NKU on the basketball court last Saturday night, and the junior forward did so with an impressive, all-around performance. Bostic scored 29 points, grabbed eight rebounds and finished with four steals as Findlay posted a 66-53 win over NKU in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Bostic also dished out three assists and made a pair of 3-point shots as the Oilers - ranked No. 5 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll - improved to 2-0. Just eight months ago, NKU snapped Findlay's 59-game home winning streak with a 60-56 victory during the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region semifinals. The Oilers responded last Saturday night in Regents Hall in big-time fashion, winning the rebounding battle by a 30-16 margin and shooting 54.5 percent from the field.
NKU rallied from a 32-26 halftime deficit to take a 38-37 lead when Anthony Teague drained a pair of 3-pointers. Bostic, however, countered with a basket to give Findlay a 39-38 advantage. Dennis Gagai buried a 3-pointer to give NKU a 41-39 lead, but Findlay used a 12-1 run to take a 51-42 lead with 7:01 remaining. Tyler Sparks began the spurt with two straight baskets and later hit a 3-pointer during the run. A conventional three-point play by Lee Roberts gave the Oilers a 54-44 lead with 5:43 on the clock, and Findlay cruised to the win. Bostic was named the most outstanding player of the two-day tournament for Findlay. Mark Hawkins added 12 points for the Norse, who shot 48.6 percent from the field. Gagai and Vincent Humphrey each scored eight points for NKU. ABOUT FERRIS STATE: The Bulldogs are 2-1 after rallying for a 47-43 win at Alma (Mich.) on Wednesday. Freshman forward Justin Keenan leads the team in scoring at 12.7 ppg and in rebounding at 8.7 rpg. Freshman guard Matt DeHart is scoring 11.3 ppg and has connected on a team-leading 11 3-pointers this season. THE LAST TIME AGAINST FERRIS STATE: On Nov. 17, 2006, NKU newcomer Steven Wright won over the home fans during a 73-59 victory over Ferris State during the opening round of the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic in Regents Hall. The former Bowling Green State standout scored 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field, grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists in his regular-season debut with the Norse. Wright netted 13 points before halftime as NKU built a 44-29 lead at the break. His steal and breakaway dunk with 7:21 remaining in the first half gave the Norse a 29-17 lead. NKU shot 53.1 percent from the field in the first half and forced 12 turnovers by Ferris State. Anthony Teague drained a trio of 3-point shots and scored nine points before halftime for the Norse. The Norse led by as many as 17 points in the second half and coasted to the season-opening victory. NKU made 62.5 percent of its shots from the field in the second half and finished at 56.3 percent for the game. The Norse were 11-for-22 from 3-point range for the game. |
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