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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - How deep is the bench at Northern Kentucky University? On Thursday night, the Norse reserves combined for 58 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists during a 91-61 victory against Rockhurst. "I think we’ve got a number of scorers up and down our roster, and on any given night they can put up the numbers," NKU head coach Dave Bezold said after his team captured its eighth consecutive win. "We’re just fortunate to have that depth. We were able to run fresh guys out there and have fresh legs throughout the game, and that was a big factor." Freshman guard Dennis Gagai poured in 26 points to lead NKU, which was 15-for-28 from 3-point range. Gagai knocked down six treys and also grabbed four rebounds off the Norse bench. "When we make the extra pass and Dennis has a good look, he’s a fantastic scorer and fantastic shooter," Bezold said of the Ironton, Ohio, native. "I'm glad he’s a freshman and he's here for four years. He is going to be an outstanding player." Junior forward DeAaron Williams finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in a reserve role for NKU. Williams was 7-for-8 from the field, including three dunks. The 6-foot-5 Williams, who became eligible Dec. 19, rammed home a lob pass in the first half for a 31-20 NKU lead, much to the delight of the Regents Hall crowd. "I think it’s just energy," Williams said of the impact a dunk has on teammates and the crowd. "When you see your teammates make great plays, it lifts the whole team up. It doesn’t have to be a dunk. It can be a three like Gagai’s, or a step-back three or those shots that (Anthony) Teague made. "It’s just when you see your teammates make a great play, it brings the whole team up and it brings everyone together. You see that with our team because we just want to win and those plays help the effort." Teague scored 14 points and connected on four 3-pointers for NKU, which shot 59.6 percent from the field. Teague also blocked four shots and had three assists. Harrison Morton added 11 points and four rebounds as NKU improved to 9-1 overall, 3-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse committed just six turnovers the entire game and won the rebounding battle, 27-25.
David McFarland dished out six assists and had no turnovers, while Billy Finnell added five assists without a turnover. "We did a great job of taking care of the ball and making sure we had good shots," Bezold said. "We’re very fortunate that DeAaron became eligible and Dennis is back to being healthy. I think we can continue to get better because we’ve only been able to play together for a couple of weeks. We’re just going to get more and more familiar with each other, but we played very well in this game." Joey Deas led Rockhurst (4-4, 1-2 GLVC) with 20 points, and John Torson added 11 points. The Hawks, however, shot just 39.3 percent from the field in the first half, fell behind by 16 points (47-31) at the break and never recovered. NKU's torrid shooting - much of it from the bench - made sure of that. "When we’re knocking them down, we’re a tough team to beat," Williams said of the Norse's 15-for-28 shooting from 3-point range. "Everyone is sharing the basketball to get open looks, and that is the most you can ask for." The Norse play host to powerful Drury on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. The Panthers, who posted a 74-71 win at Bellarmine on Thursday, are ranked No. 6 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. A year ago, NKU won two of the three meetings with Drury. The Panthers defeated NKU at Springfield, Mo., but the Norse bounced back and eliminated Drury from both the GLVC Tournament and NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament.
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