NIT First Round Recap: Louisville 66, Northern Kentucky 58
Louisville staged a second-half comeback to knock off Northern Kentucky 66-58 in a first round NIT game Tuesday night at the Yum! Center. Buoyed by a late 6-0 run, the Norse (22-10) took a 30-23 lead into halftime. The Cardinals (21-13) chipped away in the 3rd quarter and were able to take a 45-44 lead at the close. Louisville then scored the first nine points of the 4th quarter to take a 54-44 lead with 6:28 to play in the game. The Norse couldn’t get closer than 5 points the rest of the way.
Drew McDonald recorded his 18th double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Lavone Holland added 15 points before fouling out. NKU struggled with the NIT 3-point line, extended to match the international line, connecting on just 5 of 28 attempts (18%). Louisville got a game-high 20 points from Deng Adel. The Norse finish having won 20 or more games for the second straight season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament and NIT in back-to-back campaigns.
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Game links:
@NKUNorseMBB falls to Louisville in the NIT, 66-58 (NKUNorse.com)
Cardinals rally in second half to end NKU’s season (The Northerner)
NKU loses 66-58 to Louisville in first round of NIT (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Louisville basketball turns back feisty Northern Kentucky in NIT opener (Louisville Courier Journal)
Who knew the NIT could be so much fun? | Tim Sullivan (Louisville Courier Journal)
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