The whistle blows after the timeout ends, with seconds left in the game, and the NKU men’s team comes onto the court. They need a big play to put away the well-skilled Wofford men’s team. The ball is inbounded and passed around down the floor as they enter their basket.
Senior guard Dan Gherezgher passes the ball as the clock counts down slowly, and as a defender closes in on his spot beyond the arc, with 49 seconds left, he decides to go up for a three-point shot, falling while shooting.
The ball clanks around the rim until it finally drops into the net, causing the crowd within Truist Arena to explode with excitement and praise as the team celebrates around Gherezgher.
The Norse defence stifled Wofford long enough to prevent a comeback as the final horn sounded, the Norse got their second Division I win at home this season, 93-83
NKU began the game against Wofford with a slow start, as constant fouls on both sides caused the Norse to gain no advantage or momentum.
As back-and-forth scoring caused both sides to fight for a slight lead against one another in an action-filled first half. Until the halftime whistle allowed both teams to take a break, the Norse were up 45-43.
The Norse shot 50% in the field while shooting 37.5% from three, while the Terriers shot 33.3% from the field and 37.5% from three. They went to their respective locker rooms to recap and prepare for the second and final half.
Both sides came into the second half with powerful offenses and defense until foul calls on both sides caused both teams to slow down the action. The Norse and the Terriers continued to battle from the inside to beyond the arc, running the score higher and higher against one another as both teams looked for a mistake to take advantage of.
The Norse then started to get ahead and were looking for a closing shot in the waning minutes of the half, where Gherezgher bounced in a shot to give the victory to the home team.
Gherezgher said about his recent success in the ending minutes of close games this season, “I think it’s just trusting my work and staying aggressive and knowing that, if we stay in the game, like staying aggressive and not letting missed shots affect my mental, is going to pay out in the long run.”
The Norse had multiple double-digit scorers as forward LJ Wells gave 18 points, Gherezgher put up 21 points into the scoring effort and senior Donovan Oday dropped a season high 27 points. Wells also had a well-played defensive game, having 3 blocks and a steal to add to the effort.
Wells was focused on the aspect of trying to be a part of the defence, given his seniority
“I always want to be, you know, a big factor on defense, especially being a 4th year senior, I know the defense the best, you know, I have the most experience, so I think every night I need to be a big factor,” he said
Wofford guard Kahmare Holmes gave the Norse some trouble as he put up 21 points, fighting to keep his team in the game. Holmes has continued to have a great season so far; he has averaged 16.6 points per game. Guard Nils Machowski contributed 11 total rebounds for his team.
NKU head coach Darrin Horn had nothing but praise for the Wofford team and gave his flowers to Wofford head coach Kevin Giltner.
“Really a total team effort against a really physical, good, well put team. I’ve known their coach for a long time. Recruited him a little bit when he was coming out of high school, and I think that their team is going to win a lot of games in their league,” Horn said.