Brenden Stowers scored five points in the final minute of the game Saturday night as Northern Kentucky University defeated the University of Indianapolis, 83-76, in Regents Hall.
NKU held a 78-76 lead with a minute remaining in the game when Stowers connected on a three-pointer to extend the Norse’s advantage to 81-76. After David Logan missed a three-point shot on Indianapolis’ next possession, Stowers grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and hit a pair of free throws to extend NKU’s lead to 83-76.
Stowers, a senior guard playing his last game in Regents Hall, finished with 13 points and nine assists. He now has 1,208 career points with the Norse, who improved to 20-5 overall, 14-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
NKU jumped out to a 34-14 lead early in the first half as Mike Kelsey and Chris Seabrooks each scored 10 points. Indianapolis, though, used a 23-8 run in the final seven minutes of the first half to cut the deficit to 42-37 at halftime.
A three-pointer by Cory Bennett gave Indianapolis a 68-67 lead with 6:43 left in the game. NKU regained the lead with 6:12 remaining when Sean Rowland converted a layup, and the Norse built a 75-69 advantage on a rim-rattling dunk by Seabrooks at the 3:52 mark.
Logan made a three-pointer with 1:32 remaining to cut NKU’s lead to 78-76, setting the stage for Stowers’ late-game heroics. The Norse, who snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory, made 59.3 percent of their shots from the field in the second half to hold off Indianapolis (17-8 overall, 12-6 GLVC).
Kelsey scored a game-high 23 points for NKU, which is ranked No. 19 nationally in the latest NCAA Division II poll and No. 5 in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll. The top eight teams in the Great Lakes Region poll will advance to the NCAA Tournament in March.
Seabrooks finished with 16 points and four rebounds for NKU. Bobby St-Preux added 13 points, while Quentin Smith recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Bennett led Indianapolis with 17 points, and Rodney Rollins added 14 points. The Greyhounds shot 52.6 percent from the field and made 9 of 18 three-point attempts.
The Norse will close out the regular season next week with road games at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (Feb. 27) and Lewis University (March 1).
