NKU men's basketball rallies in second half to go 2-0 in Horizon League play
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Marques Warrick wowed everyone with his offense in leading the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team to two wild double-overtime wins this week.
When the Norse returned to their home base at Truist Arena Saturday night, Warrick struggled with his shot. But when another overtime was possibly looming at the end of the tunnel, Warrick helped make the biggest defensive play of the night.
Warrick helped force a turnover from Robert Morris junior guard Enoch Cheeks in the final seconds of the game, preventing the Colonials from getting off a potential game-tying shot, and NKU came away with a 60-56 win over Robert Morris, a Horizon League rival.
NKU won its third straight game to improve to 5-4, and 2-0 in Horizon League play. RMU drops to 3-6, 1-1.
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NKU was leading 58-56 when RMU got the ball back with 13 seconds to play in the second half. Warrick started the possession guarding Cheeks, then switched as Cheeks drove to the right, with 6-foot-6 junior Trey Robinson switching to guard him.
Cheeks, RMU’s leading scorer coming in at 16 points per game, dribbled into the right side of the lane, but Warrick, Robinson and fifth-year senior Trevon Faulkner converged on him, forcing Cheeks to throw a pass in midair to the opposite side of the court. NKU sophomore Sam Vinson intercepted the ball and was fouled. RMU was called for a technical foul in the aftermath. Warrick made both technical foul shots to clinch the game.
“I thought our guys did a really good job of being aggressive,” NKU head coach Darrin Horn said. “We didn’t want to give up any threes or foul a jump shooter. Trey Robinson is helping us win games because he’s a guy we can put in in that situation. He knows what to do. He has a big body, can switch. I thought he was terrific on that last possession, and Sam grabbing that basketball was huge.”
Robert Morris was picked to finish eighth in the Horizon League in the preseason and coming into this week had a 2-5 record with both wins against non-Division I competition.
But the Colonials came to Highland Heights on a high after routing reigning league tournament champion Wright State by 21 points (80-59) Thursday night in Dayton.
“A ton of credit to Robert Morris,” Horn said. “I think they’re terrific. Andy (head coach Andrew Toole) does as good a job as anybody in our league. They’re much-improved, played with great purpose and toughness tonight. I challenged our guys that they were going to play like that.”
Warrick, a junior guard, scored 45 points in a win over Tennessee Tech Sunday, and 30 in a victory over Youngstown State Thursday in the Horizon League opener for the Norse.
He struggled with the rest of the offense in the first half against the Colonials as the Norse finished the first half with more turnovers (12) than field goals (10). NKU trailed 30-23 at the break.
The 12 turnovers were spread out among nine different players. Warrick had two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
“They were really aggressive, but a lot of teams have been aggressive against us,” Horn said. “They guarded Marques the same way everybody else has in terms of trying to deny. Get into him and make his touches hard, keep him from getting a step on them when he drives the basketball. We just didn’t handle that well. It was a total team effort. We just have to be stronger with the ball and make better decisions.”
More:Marques Warrick sets Northern Kentucky scoring record as Norse top Tennessee Tech
“We just came out slow and weren’t ready to compete,” Vinson said. “They hit us in the mouth. We got to come out and throw the first punch every single game. (At halftime), the coaches challenged every single one of us and I think we responded very well and we punched them in the mouth.”
Faulkner kept the Norse in the game in the first half, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including two 3-pointers.
Faulkner played in his 132nd career game at NKU, breaking the all-time school record. He came off the bench for the third time this season after starting every game the previous three seasons and 28 out of 35 as a freshman. He has the school record for career starts as well (122).
Faulkner is playing his fifth season at NKU by taking advantage of the COVID-year waiver the NCAA offered. While that plays a part in the record, Horn noted that the Norse didn’t play in the NCAA Tournament in 2020 because of the pandemic then only played 25 games the following season because of it.
“Just focusing on what we need to do to win,” Faulkner said. “Try to bring some energy off the bench for us. My focus was doing whatever it took for our team to win. I’m just thankful to be here. It’s a great honor just to be here and be able to play the games that I’ve played. Just being able to have a great coach, being able to take care of my body and focus on the right things.”
Warrick scored 11 points in the second half, 8 early on to spark the Norse on a comeback from their 7-point halftime deficit. Faulkner finished with a team-high 14 points and also grabbed five rebounds. Vinson added 11 points and senior point guard Xavier Rhodes posted 12. Junior forward Chris Brandon had 10 rebounds, helping the Norse to an 11-board advantage (36-25) including 13 offensive rebounds.
NKU took a 45-43 lead in the second half with under 10 minutes to play on a basket by Vinson. RMU responded with a 6-0 run to lead by four, 49-45, before Rhodes got hot.
Rhodes hit two-straight baskets, one a three, to start a decisive 12-3 run that gave the Norse their biggest lead at five points, 57-52, with 3:51 to play.
Rhodes’ buckets gave NKU a 50-49 lead. Vinson followed with a basket in the lane off a spin move. Imanuel Zorgvol, a 7-foot sophomore in his first year with the Norse, scored on a putback to put NKU up four at 55-51, then Rhodes scored a basket to make it 57-52 with two minutes to play.
Chris Ford made one of two free throws for Robert Morris, who was 8-of-16 from the foul line, then Josh Corbin hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 57-56.
Warrick was fouled with 1:04 to go and made one of two to put NKU up two at 58-56.
RMU had a chance to tie but NKU forced Cheeks into an off-balance shot that Vinson rebounded. NKU ran the shot clock down on its next possession. Rhodes missed a 3-pointer and RMU rebounded, setting up its final shot.
“I would like to see us start from the beginning, understanding those things and playing a little bit better throughout the game,” Horn said. “It was a terrific response in playing the way we needed to do to give us a chance to win down the stretch. The bottom line, you start the conference 2-0, it’s a positive, and we’re thrilled with that.”
Cheeks and Kahliel Spear led RMU with 13 points apiece. Spear, a 6-foot-7 forward and a preseason second-team all-league pick, had 27 points against Wright State.
It was NKU’s seventh game in the last 17 days, beginning with its landmark win over Cincinnati Nov. 16. NKU will head to Washington State in the Pacific Northwest for a Wednesday night game, then will have a week between games before hosting Eastern Kentucky Dec. 14.
NKU’s next league home is at home against Wright State Dec. 29.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NKU rallies in second half to go 2-0 in Horizon League play
