HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Brian Lewin scored a career-high 29 points Saturday afternoon as Northern Kentucky University defeated the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 88-85, in Regents Hall.
Lewin, a freshman and a graduate of Covington Catholic High School, made 9-of-12 shots from the field and connected on five three-pointers. He scored five points in the final three minutes as NKU held off a late rally by Missouri-St. Louis to improve to 4-3 overall, 1-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Steve Purdon added 16 points for the Norse, who made 11-of-20 three-point attempts. Mike Kelsey finished with 14 points and five assists, and he converted three free throws in the final 12 seconds to ice the victory for NKU.
Pat Cary added 11 points and five rebounds for the Norse, who shot 60.8 percent from the field and improved to 12-3 in the all-time series against Missouri-St. Louis. NKU is unbeaten (6-0) in Regents Hall against the Rivermen.
A conventional three-point play by Purdon at the 9:07 mark gave NKU its biggest lead at 72-57, but Missouri-St. Louis responded with a 23-10 run to slice the deficit to 82-80 on a three-pointer by Sherome Cole with 1:08 remaining.
Lewin countered by hitting a layup to extend NKU’s lead to 84-80 with 39 seconds left, and the Norse held on to win their GLVC opener for the fourth straight year. The victory was the 294th for Norse head coach Ken Shields, who is in his 16th season at NKU.
Jonathan Griffin led Missouri-St. Louis (2-3, 0-1 GLVC) with 24 points. The Rivermen hit 11-of-22 from three-point range.
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Brian Lewin |