Final Score: NKU 84 | IU Indy 81

NKU used a second-half offensive explosion to pick up a critical road win over a feisty IU Indy squad!

The Norse played a putrid first half on both sides of the ball. They turned it over 11 times and shot just 10-26 from the field. While they did go 4-11 from deep, which was a solid performance within the flow of the game, they struggled mightily at the line, going just 3-10 in the first period.

The second half was a completely different story. The Norse shot a scorching 18-28 from the field, including 5-10 from deep. They also drastically improved at the charity stripe, going 16-20. It mattered, as NKU led for a total of just 5:05, all coming in the second half.

Donovan Oday, Dan Gherezgher, and Tae Dozier were the guys who really stood out tonight. I’ll have their stat lines a bit later, but I want to point out Tae’s offensive rebound and putback off a free throw with 4:50 left. That bucket put NKU up 69-66. It was a pure effort play, and one that NKU desperately needed. The two teams had been going back and forth for minutes, but that swing pushed NKU’s lead out and allowed them to capitalize.

The Norse pushed the lead to six with 3:32 remaining off a Dan Gherezgher free throw, and after trading buckets, extended it to a nine-point advantage with 1:45 remaining. After that, however, NKU seemed to lose their composure a bit. Addison Archer came out on the court to celebrate after a whistle—thankfully for the Norse, a technical wasn’t called, though it easily could’ve been. Shortly after, NKU did receive a technical foul for a delay of game (having received a warning a couple of minutes earlier). IU Indy hit the free throw, suddenly making it an 83-79 game. LJ Wells hit 1-of-2 from the line, and an IU Indy layup with five seconds left was the final action of the night. NKU escaped with a lucky 84-81 victory.

Revisiting the Three Keys

As always, I gave three keys to the game in my pregame preview. While I think the bigger stories lie outside of these tonight, it’s extremely important to point out that the rebounding and FT disparity played a critical role in the Norse pulling this one out—and why it remained a close matchup overall.

Rebounding 

IU Indy grabbed a total of 36 rebounds tonight in the Jungle (15 offensive, 21 defensive). There were two notable possessions where the Norse allowed multiple offensive rebounds. One that really stands out to me involved three offensive boards before a Jaguar layup. The other ended with a blocked shot from the Norse, avoiding a bad outcome.

NKU pulled down 33 rebounds tonight (13 offensive, 20 defensive), adding in 11 second-chance points. Overall, I thought NKU’s toughness just wasn’t there on the glass tonight. As I mentioned above, there were a couple of possessions where IU Indy was just more physical and grabbed rebounds that NKU should’ve easily controlled.

FT Disparities 

NKU shot 30 free throws Thursday night. While they went just 19-30 (63%), the volume was still a significant advantage for the Norse. IU Indy attempted 15 free throws, making 12 of them.

The Norse committed just 17 total personal fouls in this one. While that is a significant improvement numerically from other games, IU Indy doesn’t typically draw many fouls. This remains a concern as they play more disciplined matchups down the stretch.

Health 

NKU continues to be banged up, with Kael Robinson remaining out at least until the final week of the regular season. I have tentatively heard he hopes to be ready for the final matchup vs. Wright State—not a definitive timeline, but a hope.

Aside from Kael, Donnie R played just two minutes Thursday night. I know he has been dealing with a lingering back injury, but the program has been a little quieter about this than other injuries. His status is very much game-to-game (or honestly, minute-to-minute).

Key Player Stats

• Donovan Oday: 26 PTS | 2 REB | 2 AST | 3 STL | 2 BLK | 2 TO
• Dan Gherezgher: 24 PTS | 5 REB | 5 AST | 2 TO
• Tae Dozier: 19 PTS | 9 REB | 5 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO
• LJ Wells: 11 PTS | 7 REB | 2 AST | 1 BLK | 2 TO

Ethan Elliott and Bryce Darbyshire were the only other Norse players to find the scoresheet, chipping in just two points apiece. To be blunt: NKU has to get more from their supporting cast. When you look at everyone outside of the “Core Four,” you see a combined 4 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals against 10 fouls and 6 turnovers (four of which came from Ethan). That is simply not good enough. The Norse are lucky they were able to escape Indy with a win despite that lack of depth tonight.

Up Next

The Norse get a much-needed weekend off before returning to action on Wednesday, Feb. 18, vs. Purdue Fort Wayne at 7:30 PM. This is a colossal matchup at Truist Arena, and the Norse need you there!

I’ll be back this weekend with a full Horizon League breakdown and a preview of NKU’s path to a top-5 seed in the conference tournament. See you then!