NKU faced off against Oakland for their second matchup this season after falling to the Grizzlies 68-53 in January.
Oakland won the tip-off and DQ Cole immediately knocked down a three. NKU’s Sam Vinson forced a Grizzlies turnover, allowing Dan Gherezgher to dunk the ball to put the first Norse points on the board.
Oakland’s Allen Mukeba and Jayson Woodrich knocked down a couple shots to give the Grizzlies the early 8-2 lead.
NKU’s Josh Dilling drained his first three of the night, and the Norse’s offense finally came alive. A 15-0 run began with LJ Wells, Randall Pettus II and Keeyan Itejere all contributing as the Norse climbed to a double digit 19-8 lead.
The Norse were elite on both sides of the ball during this stretch, forcing two turnovers during their run and shutting the Grizzlies down on offense for nearly six minutes until Mukeba connected on a shot and broke the scoring drought.
The Norse couldn’t hold Oakland off the boards much longer as the Grizzlies began a 12-3 run to make it a one possession game. But Pettus responded with a much needed three as the Norse led 25-20 at the under-eight timeout.
The Grizzlies came out of the timeout ready to play as they climbed their way to take the 27-25 lead. A two-hand jam from Oakland’s Tuburu Naivalurua forced NKU’s Head Coach Darrin Horn to call a timeout. Pettus came out of the timeout and drained a three to give the Norse the lead back.
Both teams exchanged threes, with several lead changes, until Dilling got called for a foul and sent Naivalurua to the line. He converted on both his shots to end the first half as the Grizzlies led 40-39.
Vinson opened up the second half with a jumper, but the Norse could not contain Cole as he drained another three for the Grizzlies. Gherezgher answered with a three of his own, giving the Norse a one-point lead.
A Free throw from Itejere sparked a 7-0 run for the Norse, but Naivalurua ended the run, knocking down a shot as the Norse led 51-47 at the under-16 timeout.
The Norse came out of the timeout hot beyond the arc, as Pettus and Dilling drained threes on three consecutive possessions to give the Norse a double-digit lead. The Norse continued their 15-0 run with shots from Robinson and Gherezgher as they took the 66-49 lead.
The Grizzlies went nearly seven minutes without a field goal until Naivalurua laid one in. Both teams traded free throws until Mukeba sparked a 15-5 run for the Grizzlies to get them back within single digits with just two minutes remaining in regulation.
Oakland’s Jayson Woodrich got called for a foul sending Vinson to the free throw line. Vinson sank both shots to give the Norse the double-digit lead again, but Cole hit his fifth and final three of the day to try to keep the Grizzlies in the game as they trailed 78-71.
A layup from Wells and another pair of free throws from Vinson kept the Grizzlies from making a comeback. Vinson was fouled once more and converted both shots, finishing 6-6 from the line in the final two minutes to help seal the win.
The Norse ended their six-game losing streak as they took home the 84-75 win.
Gherezgher led the Norse with 22 points.
The Norse host Cleveland State Wednesday at Truist Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.