Mike Kelsey

OWENSBORO, Ky. - Mike Kelsey and Kevin Reinhardt combined for 46 points as Northern Kentucky University held off Kentucky Wesleyan, 79-67, Friday night at the Owensboro Sportscenter.

NKU built a 26-point lead in the second half and coasted past the 13th-ranked Panthers.

The Norse shot 53.8 percent from the field and limited Kentucky Wesleyan to 37.3 percent from the floor to improve to 4-0 overall, 1-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Kelsey, who finished with a game-high 25 points, scored 13 in the first half as NKU built a 42-26 lead. Reinhardt collected 14 of his 21 points before halftime.

The Norse held a 54-28 lead after a layup by Sean Rowland at the 16:01 mark. Wesleyan, however, responded with a 14-2 run to cut the lead to 56-42 with 9:56 remaining.

Kelsey stopped the run with a layup to give NKU a 58-42 lead. But the Panthers responded with an 8-2 run and sliced the lead to 58-48 on a three-pointer by Matt Enos.

Steve Purdon, however, buried a pair of three-point shots to give NKU a 64-50 advantage and the Norse cruised to the road victory.

Frank Phifer scored 22 points for the Panthers in the loss. Franklyn Ferguson added 19 points and eight rebounds for Wesleyan (1-2, 0-1 GLVC).

Jordan Stowers had nine assists and seven rebounds for NKU. Rowland added seven assists for the Norse, who have won four straight under first-year head coach Dave Bezold.

The Norse have now defeated two nationally ranked opponents in their first four games. Besides Kentucky Wesleyan, the Norse also defeated sixth-ranked Michigan Tech in the season opener.

The Norse will finish up the GLVC road trip with a 3:15 p.m. contest at Bellarmine on Sunday.