---Billy Finnell drives in for the final shot of the game against Drury as defender Collins Harris steps in. Finnell made the shot as the buzzer sounded, but he was called for a charge and the basket was disallowed.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - This one literally was decided at the buzzer, and not by a last-second shot. Instead, a charging call nullified the tying basket as time expired Saturday, and Northern Kentucky University’s eight-game winning streak ended in controversial fashion.

Tim Brown made a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining to give Drury a 69-67 lead, and the Panthers held on to defeat NKU when Billy Finnell’s apparent tying basket at the buzzer was disallowed due to a charging call.

NKU (9-2 overall, 3-1 Great Lakes Valley Conference) gained a 67-66 lead with 20 seconds remaining when Scott Bibbins converted one of two free throws. Drury, which is ranked No. 6 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, then worked the ball inside to Chris Ijames, who kicked the ball out to Brown on the left side for an open 3-pointer.

Brown’s shot found the bottom of the net to give Drury a 69-67 lead.

After a timeout, NKU put the basketball in Finnell’s hands and the junior guard drove the length of the court and made a driving layup over Collins Harris as the buzzer sounded. Finnell was called for an offensive foul, however, and the basket was waved off, giving Drury (11-1 overall, 4-0 GLVC) the victory.

“We had a 13-point lead in the second half, and we had opportunities to extend the lead and we didn’t,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “We knew Drury was going to come back because they’re a really good team, and that’s what they did. Our inability in the second half to make free throws hurt.

"All of our missed free throws were in the second half, and several in the last couple of minutes. That really hurts because you’ve got to be able to go to the line and make those shots.”

Anthony Teague’s 3-pointer with 16:52 remaining extended NKU’s lead to 46-33, but Drury countered with a 12-3 run to cut the Norse advantage to 49-45 with 11:48 left in the game. The Panthers later used an 11-0 run to turn a 55-49 deficit into a 60-55 lead on Jamel Grant’s 3-pointer with 5:32 remaining.

---Vincent Humphrey attempts a jumper.

“They made more plays than us down the stretch and that’s the bottom line,” Bezold said. “We didn’t make free throws when we had opportunities to extend the lead and put ourselves in a situation where we had an opportunity to lose the game. And that’s what happened. We needed one stop defensively and, for whatever reason, we left a guy wide open and he knocked it down.”

Harrison Morton and DeAaron Williams each scored 13 points to lead NKU, which lost for the first time since a 66-53 setback to Findlay on Nov. 17. Teague added 11 points for the Norse, who were 11-for-17 from the free-throw line in the second half.

Adam White led Drury with 18 points, while Harris added 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Panthers avenged two losses to the Norse last season, one in the GLVC Tournament and the other in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional.

“We’ve just got to build on this and learn from our mistakes,” said Williams, who added five rebounds ands two blocked shots. “We had opportunities to win the game, and it just wasn’t there for us.”

“We’re a good team. That’s all there is to it,” he added. “We just didn’t close out the game like we should have. That’s what we have to work on and mature as a team.”

NKU, which has not played a road game since Dec. 1, will travel to meet Indianapolis at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Norse continue the road trip Saturday with an afternoon game at Saint Joseph’s. NKU returns home Jan. 17 to meet Southern Indiana at 7:45 p.m.

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