N. Kentucky pulls away late, beats Youngstown St. 70-51

Feb 19, 2018, 10:06 pm

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. -- Drew Mc Donald had his 15th double-double of the season with 27 points and 12 rebounds to help Northern Kentucky beat Youngstown State 70-51 on Monday night.

Jordan Garnett and Carson Williams added 10 points apiece for Northern Kentucky (20-8, 13-3 Horizon League).

McDonald hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 9-0 run that made it 19-15 midway through the first half and the Norse led the rest of the way. Cameron Morse made a layup to trim Youngstown State's deficit to six points with 7:21 to play, but McDonald answered with a jumper and then converted a 3-point play to spark an 18-5 run over the final seven-plus minutes. The Penguins missed seven of their last eight field-goal attempts, including all six 3-point shots.

Morse was the only Youngstown State (8-21, 6-10) player to score in double figures, finishing with 11 points and eight assists.

Northern Kentucky made 17 of 23 free throws, while the Penguins hit just 6 of 13.

The Norse remain tied with Wright State atop the conference standings with two games to play, but the Raiders swept the season series to hold the tie breaker.