I’m keeping it brief tonight, because honestly, this one comes down to injuries and as coach Horn said “Just grab the ball”. However, I’ll be back Friday morning with a full preview of the Milwaukee matchup and a dive into where NKU stands in the Horizon League.

Injury Report

• Kael Robinson: Currently in a walking boot (ankle). Coach Horn does not have a specific return timeline yet.
• LJ Wells: Played at roughly 70% tonight; Coach Horn described it as him playing on “one leg.”
• Ethan Elliott: Returned tonight after being sidelined with a concussion since the Detroit Mercy game. He was relatively effective coming off the bench.
• Donnie Rakotonanahary: Played only 1:46, though sources around the program are tight lipped, but indicate this was a rotation decision rather than injury-related.

Game Flow

Tonight was eerily similar to the first meeting in Green Bay. The Norse fell behind by double digits before clawing back to a 4-point deficit at the half. The second half followed the same script: Green Bay stretched the lead, and NKU fought back.

Donovan Oday and Tae Dozier carried the load, both finishing with 20+ points. NKU actually grabbed a late 3-point lead, but Green Bay’s Marcus Hall (#13) buried a triple from the top of the key after the Norse failed to secure a defensive rebound.

In Overtime, the see-saw continued. Green Bay went up five before Oday hit a clutch 3-pointer and drew a foul. He missed the free throw, leaving NKU down two with a minute left. The Norse eventually took a 3-point lead with 30 seconds remaining, but Caden Wilkins (#23) answered with a tying three. After another missed FT from Oday, Green Bay’s Preston Ruedinger (#2) hit a wide-open dagger with 10 seconds left following a defensive communication breakdown. NKU couldn’t get a final shot off before the buzzer.

Revisiting the Three Keys

1. Fouls & Free Throws NKU committed 17 fouls to Green Bay’s 21. While the discipline was better in the second half, the charity stripe was anything but charitable. The Norse shot a putrid 14-22 (64%) from the line, including a costly 2-5 in OT. Green Bay, meanwhile, capitalized by shooting 73% (16-22).

2. Three-Point Shooting

• NKU: 12-36 (33%)
• Green Bay: 9-23 (39%) The high volume of attempts continues to be the story for the Norse. While Ethan Elliott (3-7), Donovan Oday (4-11), and Tae Dozier (4-8) were threats, the rest of the roster struggled, including Dan Gherezgher going 1-7 from deep.

3. Rebounding: “Just Grab The Ball” This was the ultimate undoing. The Norse were out-rebounded 41-29. Green Bay turned 13 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points. NKU’s 9 offensive boards only yielded 7 points. The lack of physicality down the stretch—highlighted by that missed box-out on the Hall 3-pointer—was the difference.

The Bottom Line

There are silver linings here regarding players stepping up in shorthanded spots, but as Coach Horn noted post-game, this team has to “toughen up” as the season hits the home stretch.

Tonights’s 📸

I wanted to take a moment and comment here. I am not professionally trained, and everything I have learned is from me learning myself & my wife who has a photography minor. I am currently using equipment that is less than what is ideal. We’re making it work! By next hoops season, I’ll have better equipment and it’ll help upgrade my photography!