The EKU road win was especially important for the Norse who had lost their first three games this season against mid-majors – Middle Tennessee (74-57) and Illinois State (62-59) on the road and Akron giving up a 77-76 dunk at the buzzer for the lone home loss this year. Saint Mary’s hit 34 of 62 from the field (54.8 percent). Neither did 38.0 percent shooting (19 of 50) shooting from the field. That Sam Vinson played just 15 minutes with a single field goal and three assists certainly didn’t help the Norse in this game. Michael Bradley scored 10 with freshman Jeremiah Israel, the Lloyd Memorial product who has been earning Freshman of the Week honors in the Horizon League, adding eight. Marques Warrick and Trey Robinson each had 14 points to lead NKU at Saint Mary’s. At home, NKU is 5-1 and now gets to look at concentrating on a conference schedule which the Norse have used to move on to the NCAA Tournament in March four of the last seven seasons.Īfter maybe their best game of the season, an 85-75 win at Eastern Kentucky, the Norse withered in the second half, outscored by 54-27, by Saint Mary’s after trailing 38-29 at halftime. Road games at Power Five programs haven’t been all that kind to NKU as they lost 90-66 at Cincinnati as well. It’s the second West Coast trip – and step up in class - for NKU this season with an earlier 75-67 loss at Washington for the 7-6 Norse who are on Christmas break until a Horizon League game Dec. The West Coast trips haven’t gotten any easier for the NKU Norse with a 92-56 pasting Thursday night at Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif.

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