With two minutes left in the game, the Norse are up big, the crowd is on its feet. Senior guard Mitchal Minor checks into the game.
After a couple of plays up and down the court, the ball was swung over to Minor on the left wing. He doesn’t hesitate, he shoots the ball, “Swish” as the ball goes through the net, the fans go wild, but Minor wasn’t done just yet.
The very next trip down the floor, he is pushing the pace, he spots a hole in UC Clermont’s defense and calls for the ball. Bryce Darbyshire passes the ball to him under the net with 30 seconds left on the clock. He catches the ball, spins and banks it right off the glass for five quick points.
Fans piled into Truist Arena on Monday night for the first home game of the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball season as they took on UC Clermont. The Norse dominated, winning 126-69. The score of 126 tied NKU’s program record in points.
Newcomer Kael Robsion shined for the Norse as he helped them jump out to a hot start with a quick eight points, six of those coming behind the arc. He went 4-for-5 behind the arc and shot 9-10 from the field, putting up 22 points.
LJ Wells and Dan Gherezgher, returners from last year, put their mark on the game as Wells posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 40% from the field. Gherezgher was also efficient from the floor, shooting 70% from the field, putting up 18 points and six rebounds.
The Cougars didn’t go down without a fight, even though NKU’s firepower was strong; they found some light in this game with Freshman guard Austin Southerland.
The Ohio native made his name known to the NKU community as he was lighting it up, shooting all over the three-point line. He shot 18 shots behind the arc, sinking six. He finished with 25 points, a game high.
The men’s basketball team head coach, Darrin Horn, praised Southerland’s performance.
“I thought he did a great job. And, you know, we actually had him on the scouting report and said This guy’s a guy that we have to watch, and did not do a good enough job of finding him a couple of them he shot really deep in the first half, and then even after we made the adjustment, you know, he threw a few more in there,” Horn said. “So great kid from a great family had several brothers that have played quite a bit of places, and so we’re really happy for him to do well.”
Before the season, Horn said he wanted his team to play fast, and they did that. They had 32 fast break points and ran quickly in transition, even when the ball went through the net.
“We could be really good in transition. It’s an important part of how we want to play…I think this is a team that can play really fast in transition. I think, I think Ethan and Danny are a big part of that. I think we’ve improved our athleticism on the perimeter as well, and so that really helps. But yeah, I thought we did a really good job of pushing the ball at transition,” Horn said.
With the first game under their belt and many more challenges throughout the season, Wells, the leader of this team, says it feels good to get the win.
“It was, it feels good. I mean, like we, everybody contributed, played together well as a team. So I would say, just builds our confidence to be able to perform outside of practice, you know, and get that experience,” Wells said.