HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Calvin Sykes banked in a 40-foot shot at the buzzer Thursday night to give Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville a 66-65 win over Northern Kentucky University in Regents Hall.
NKU took a 65-63 lead with 3.7 seconds remaining when Steve Purdon made an 18-foot jumper from the right side. After a timeout, Sykes received the inbound pass, dribbled just past midcourt and launched a desperation shot from the left sideline.
The shot banked in as the buzzer sounded, giving SIUE its first win in Regents Hall since Feb. 25, 1989.
Sykes scored SIUE’s final 13 points of the game and finished with 22. NKU built a 15-point lead three times in the first half, but SIUE rallied and pulled within 31-25 at halftime.
Jesse Rupe scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, and his three-point play with 20 seconds left gave NKU a 63-61 lead. Sykes countered with a basket with 11 seconds remaining to tie the game at 63-63, but Purdon’s jump shot regained the lead for NKU and set the stage for Sykes’ improbable buzzer-beater.
SIUE never led until Sykes hit a pair of free throws with 6:32 remaining to give the Cougars a 47-46 advantage. Joel Jaye later drained a pair of three-pointers to give SIUE a 53-49 lead with 5:27 left on the clock.
NKU rallied and used a 7-0 run to take a 58-55 lead with 2:32 remaining when Rupe powered in for a dunk. Sykes, however, tied the game at 58-58 when he finished off a conventional three-point play with 1:23 left in the game.
Purdon added 14 points for NKU, which dropped to 14-11 overall, 7-8 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Kevin Schappell finished with 13 points for the Norse, who have lost three straight games.
Jaye scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds for SIUE (13-9 overall, 9-7 GLVC), which shot 60.9 percent from the field in the second half. NKU won the rebounding battle by a 37-23 margin, with Rupe grabbing a game-high 15 boards.
NKU played with leading scorer Mike Kelsey, who missed his second straight game due to a knee injury.
NKU will play host to 11th-ranked Lewis University at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall. That game will also be the final home appearance for NKU head coach Ken Shields, who is retiring at the end of the season.
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Jesse Rupe |