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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Jason Genova's 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining in the game snapped a 72-all tie and helped Lewis upset Northern Kentucky University, 80-76, Tuesday night in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament in Regents Hall. Brandon Dagans made four free throws in the final 21 seconds to seal the win for Lewis, which improved to 19-9. The Flyers rallied from an 11-point deficit in the first half and tied the score at the break at 42-all. NKU, which entered the GLVC Tournament as the No. 1 seed from the East Division, was 10-for-17 from 3-point range in the first half but could not pull away from the Flyers. “In the first half, we could not stop anybody and that has been a concern of mine for about two weeks now since we left Kentucky Wesleyan - not playing solid defense at all,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “Teams have been shooting over 50 percent against us in every half against us. I’m not sure what the cure is, but you can’t win in the postseason without defending and we haven’t proved that we can do that on a regular, consistent basis. “That is one frustrating part and another was tonight, when we had a number of 8-10 point leads, and we were unable to hold on or build on it. Every time that we did it, we’d have a breakdown, a silly foul or something not happen properly. At the end of the game, we make an absolutely poor decision offensively, and then we make such a terrible mistake defensively - that’s what got us.” The Norse defeated Lewis both times in the regular season and had beaten the Flyers seven consecutive times going into Tuesday night’s game. Genova led Lewis with 21 points, and Stephan Bolt added 18 points and 13 rebounds. Harrison Morton scored 21 points to lead NKU (20-7), which will find out Sunday night if it qualifies for the NCAA Division II Tournament. Scott Bibbins added 16 points and four assists for the Norse, who shot 51.9 percent from the field. Vincent Humphrey scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Anthony Teague added 10 points off the bench. It marked the final time NKU will play in Regents Hall, which has not been a kind place for the Norse the past month. Bellarmine, Saint Joseph’s and Lewis all defeated NKU on its home floor in the last month. “Are we happy we had the home-court advantage? Sure, but we’ve lost three out of our last four home games,” Bezold said. “I’d rather be out on the road right now."
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