HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (1/8/2023) -- Graduate senior
Antoine Davis led all scorers with 29 points, but NKU sent the game to overtime with a three at the buzzer and then won the extra session as the Titans dropped a 78-76 outcome on Sunday afternoon at Truist Arena.
Along with the 29 points, Davis also tied his career high with seven rebounds, tied his season-best with three steals and added four assists. He moved to sixth place in NCAA history with 3,159 career points, passing Doug McDermott (Creighton, 2010-14 - 3,150), and hit five 3-pointers to move his career mark to 499, five shy of second place and 10 away from the NCAA record.
Junior
Jayden Stone matched his career-best for the second-straight game with 24 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds with three assists. Junior
Kyle LeGreair posted a career-high nine points and handed out a season-high four assists, while graduate senior
A.J. Oliver added eight points.
The Titans (6-11, 2-4 HL) trailed by nine, 58-49, with under seven minutes left, but went on a 22-10 run to take a three-point lead, 71-68, with nine seconds on the clock. NKU (10-7, 4-2 HL) was able to get the ball back and hit a three to send it to overtime.
In the extra frame, Stone gave the team a 73-72 lead with 3:08 left, but the Norse scored five in a row for a 77-73 advantage. From there, each team hit some free throws, and the Titans had one last chance needing a miracle play as they were at the line down three with 0.9 seconds left. LeGreair would hit the first free throw and attempted to miss the second on purpose for an offensive rebound and putback, but Detroit Mercy did not get the board.
The Titans shot 42.4% from the field and were 12-of-26 (46.2%) from distance and 14-of-16 (87.5%) at the charity stripe. They also came away with seven steals.
Graduate senior
Arashma Parks had six rebounds and graduate senior
TJ Moss scored two points with three assists.
The first half featured five ties and five lead changes as Davis started the contest with a 3-pointer and Stone hit one from distance for an early 8-5 lead. NKU would then surge ahead for a 16-13 advantage, but Stone rang in back-to-back triples to put the team back in front, 19-16, midway through the half.
NKU climbed back for a three-point lead, 22-19, but two free throws from LeGreair and back-to-back baskets by Stone gave the red, white and blue a 26-22 lead with 6:28 remaining.
Later, a four-point play from Oliver as he hit a three and was fouled, connecting on the free throw, and then Parks came up with a steal that led to a Moss basket, giving the Titans their biggest lead of 32-24, with 4:45 left. However, NKU came back, ending the half on a 12-3 spurt for a 35-35 lead.
In the second half, Davis knotted the game at 38-38 with a three and LeGreair would put the Titans ahead, 42-41, with an offensive rebound and layup with 13:01 to go.
NKU went on a 10-0 run and would claim the lead back, 51-42, with 9:18 left. Stone ended that with a trey, but the Norse still led by nine, 58-49, with 7:07 remaining.
That is when the Titans started to turn it around, scoring seven in a row as Oliver hit two free throws, Davis nailed a three and LeGreair went to the rim again for a bucket to make it 58-56 with 5:44 left. The Titans had a two-point advantage, 62-60, at the 3:58 mark as Davis hit a jumper and was fouled knocking in a three, making the free throw for a four-point play. The Titans were also in front, 67-64, as Stone rang in another from three with 2:11 left and ahead by three again at 69-66 and 71-68, the latter with nine seconds left when NKU got the ball back.
The Titans will return home for a two-game homestand against Youngstown State and Robert Morris next week, Jan. 12 and Jan. 14. There is a special ticket promotion for the Jan. 12 game against YSU as all tickets are $3, and there will be a special 30% discount at the Titan Gift store on game day. For tickets,
click here and use the promo code 3KPOINTS.
Game Notes:
- NKU now leads the overall series, 12-4, and are 7-2 at home in the match-up
- It was the second overtime game of the season for the Titans who fell, 82-80, at Charlotte
- The red, white and blue have connected on double-digit triples in 11 games and came into the contest second in the HL and 10th in the country with 10.1 per game
- Davis came into the game averaging 20.9 points against NKU, the lowest total versus any Horizon League school in his career
- Davis' 3,159 points are six behind Alphonso Ford (Mississippi Valley State, 1989-93 - 3,165) for fifth in NCAA history
- Davis now has 91 career 20-point games, 29 career 30-point outings and four 40-point contests in 128 games and has a league-best 14, 20-point games and three 30-point outings on the season
- Davis has now made a three in 123 of his 128 collegiate games, with 70 career games with four or more triples, 25 with six or more, 11 games with seven or more, and has four ties connected on 10 in his career, tying a school record as well as breaking a conference tournament record
- Davis' 499 career 3-pointers are five away from Oakland's Travis Bader (2010-14) for second and 10 shy of Fletcher Magee's (Wofford, 2015-19) NCAA-record 509
- Davis now has 1,055 career field goals, passing Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati, 1956-60 - 1,052) for 17th in NCAA history
- It was the seventh time in Davis' career that he has pulled down seven rebounds and the second time this season as he also did it at Washington State
- LeGreair's previous career-high was five points against UIC last season
- Stone tied his career high for the third time this season as he had 24 against Bryant and at Wright State
- LeGreair's career-high in assists is five at NKU last season
- Stone's six 3-pointers broke the five he had against Bryant, while the nine boards are the second most on the season behind the 12 he recorded versus Rochester
