Billy Finnell keyed NKU’s comeback

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - A huge second-half run carried Northern Kentucky University to an 81-71 upset over sixth-ranked Findlay on Friday night in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic in Regents Hall.

The Norse used the scoring of Vincent Humphrey and Kevin Schappell to fuel the rally, which featured a 21-3 run that turned a 52-42 deficit into a 63-55 advantage with 6:34 remaining. Humphrey, a sophomore forward, netted 13 of his game-high 22 points in the second half.

Schappell scored all 14 of his points in the second half, including a pair clutch 3-pointers during the Norse’s decisive run. The 6-foot-3 junior also grabbed five rebounds and made all four free throws he attempted.

Freshman point guard Billy Finnell scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half to key the NKU comeback. The Purcell Marian graduate drilled a pair of 3-point shots and finished with five assists.

“Billy Finnell came in and did a tremendous job offensively in settling up our team,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “(Findlay point guard) Dustin Pfeifer was in control of the game. They scored 15 points in the first five minutes, and Billy neutralized that.

“Kevin Schappell hit a big three in the second half to get our momentum, and then Billy had a big steal. Those guys really helped to turn the tide. And Vincent Humphrey had one solid game for us.”

Findlay, ranked No. 6 in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll, built a 48-37 lead on a 3-pointer by Tyler Evans with 14:18 remaining in the game. Humphrey, however, was fouled while attempting a trey and made all three free throws to bring NKU within eight points (48-40).

With Findlay holding a 52-42 lead, NKU started its run. Schappell drained a 3-pointer off an assist from Finnell to cut the lead to 52-45. Finnell made a jumper to bring the Norse within 52-47, and Humphrey later hit a pair of free throws to make it 52-49 with 11:49 left.

Kevin Schappell drains a 3-pointer

A 3-pointer by Josh Bostic pushed Findlay’s lead back to 55-49, but Finnell countered by hitting a long 3-pointer to make it 55-52. After Findlay’s Frank Phillips missed a short jumper, Finnell was fouled going for the rebound.

He hit both free throws to bring the Norse within 55-54.

Moments later, Schappell chased down an offensive rebound after a Humphrey miss and threw it out to Finnell. The freshman point guard drew two defenders and found Schappell for an open 3-pointer in the right corner.

Schappell drained the shot to give NKU a 57-55 advantage with 9:18 remaining, and the Norse would not trail again. Schappell capped the spurt by making a jumper with 3:37 left to give NKU a 69-57 lead.

Gavin Ludgood finished with 10 points and five rebounds for NKU, which beat the No. 6 team in the Division II poll for the second straight year on opening night. Last season, the Norse upset sixth-ranked Michigan Tech, 55-53, in their opener.

“We played well as a team. We came together in the second half,” Finnell said. “We were down, fought back hard, and everything was a team effort. I was able to get into the lane and dish. That’s my job.”

Kevin Reinhardt pulled down 10 rebounds for NKU, which won the battle of the boards by a 38-23 margin. The Norse shot 54.5 percent from the field in the second half to rally for the win.

Findlay, which posted a 30-4 record last season, was led by Brent Schnipke’s 17 points. Pfeifer had nine points and six assists for the Oilers, while Bostic added 13 points.

“We were very fortunate in the first half to be in the game, because we had 13 turnovers and shot 30 percent from the field,” said Bezold, who is in his second season as NKU’s head coach. “By only being down two points we felt like this was a game we should win. We could have gone into the locker room down 10 or more.”

NKU will play Saginaw Valley State at 7:45 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall. Saginaw Valley State dropped an 82-69 decision to Christian Brothers in the first game Friday night.

Findlay will meet Christian Brothers at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the round-robin format.

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