NKU’s Kevin Reinhardt

QUINCY, Ill. - For the second straight year, Jordan Roth spoiled Northern Kentucky University’s visit to the Pepsi Arena.

Roth scored five points in the final 1:38 of the game Saturday afternoon as Quincy rallied for a 62-59 win over NKU in the Pepsi Arena. Roth - whose basket in the final seconds last season gave the Hawks a 75-74 victory over NKU - finished with a game-high 20 points and eight assists on Saturday.

NKU rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half behind the scoring of Kevin Schappell and Kevin Reinhardt. The Norse held a 59-57 lead with 2:52 left after a basket by Billy Finnell, but those would be the final points of the game for NKU.

Roth made one free throw with 1:38 remaining to cut NKU’s lead to 59-58, and his jumper with 53 seconds left gave Quincy a 60-59 advantage.

NKU twice had chances to regain the lead. Finnell missed a jumper with 41 seconds left, but Schappell chased down the loose ball. After a timeout, the Norse worked the clock and looked for the go-ahead score in the final seconds.

Schappell - who drained a trio of 3-pointers in the second half to spark NKU’s comeback - received the ball as the shot clock was winding down, and he attempted a jumper from the left side. His shot, however, was blocked by Andre Muse as the shot clock expired, and Quincy was awarded the ball.

Roth was fouled with 3.1 seconds left and made both free throws to give Quincy a 62-59 lead, and Finnell’s desperation 3-pointer fell short at the buzzer.

“We had plenty of opportunities to make plays at the end, whether it be defensively or offensively, and we were not able to make that last one,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “We battled back and hit some big shots in the second half, but this is a tough loss after we had a chance to win.”

Quincy (13-8 overall, 8-5 Great Lakes Valley Conference) led by as many as 11 points late in the first half and settled for a 37-28 edge at the break. The Hawks shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first half, while NKU made 54.5 percent from the floor.

Finnell finished with nine points, six assists and two steals for the Norse, now 13-7 overall, 8-4 in the GLVC. NKU is now two games behind Saint Joseph’s (20-2 overall, 10-2 GLVC) in the GLVC East Division.

The Norse will play host to Indianapolis at 7:45 p.m. Thursday in Regents Hall.

BOX SCORE