After a precarious pass by Detroit Mercy’s Lance Stone landed in the hands of Donovan Oday, NKU wasted no time pushing the tempo in transition. Oday fired a cross-court pass to Tae Dozier, who delivered a clean, rhythmic feed to Donovan Rakotonanahary for a two-hand flush.
From that moment on, NKU never looked back. The Norse maintained a commanding 20-point lead for the remainder of the game, cruising to a much-needed 96-71 win.
NKU hosted Detroit Mercy on Thursday, returning home after a two-game road stretch. The Norse entered the game at 13-6 overall and 5-3 in Horizon League play, still bitter from a narrow loss against Green Bay last Sunday.
The Titans entered the game fresh off a double-digit win over Cleveland State and seeking back-to-back wins for just the third time this season.
In the first half, NKU shot a scorching 60% from the floor on 30 attempts and knocked down 55.6% of their shots from beyond the arc as head coach Darrin Horn had the offense humming.
“Now, all of a sudden, that we score the ball a little bit better, it’s like there’s this feeling if were not up by 25, then something must be going wrong,” Head Coach Darrin Horn said.
“These teams are all good. They’re all really well coached. They’re all big and athletic, so of course they’re gonna make a run…but our guys responded to it, which was good to see.”
Senior LJ Wells led the charge with 18 first-half points– just two shy of his career high. Senior Dan Gherezgher added 12 points of his own and was a perfect three-for-three from downtown.
Senior Donovan Oday also joined in on the offensive clinic, carving through the Titans’ defense and scoring at will in transition. Oday sped up NKU’s high-tempo offense and left Detroit Mercy trailing 57-32 at halftime.
In the second half, NKU showed no signs of letting up. The Norse continued to push the pace, turning defensive stops into quick buckets and stretching the lead to as many as 25 points.
Wells continued to be the focal point for the Norse on offense, finishing with a career high 35 points on 11-15 shooting.
“It definitely is a boost of confidence knowing that I’m capable of a night like that,” said Wells.
“But the main mindset is just being consistent.”
The Norse offense now ranks second in the Horizon League in scoring, averaging 84.7 points per game. With another 90+ point performance, the Norse notched their eighth such outing of the season.
NKU will wrap up their homestand against Robert Morris this Saturday, as the Norse continue to plow through Horizon League play.