HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky opened the second half with a game-changing scoring run to turn a halftime lead by the Milwaukee men's basketball team into a 73-60 defeat for the visitors Saturday evening at BB&T Arena.
 
The Panthers (9-13, 4-5 Horizon League) cut the largest deficit of the game in half down the stretch, but ran out of gas on the comeback attempt. They led the game at halftime by four points, only to see the Norse (18-4, 8-1 Horizon League) score 18 of the first 20 points following intermission to take control of the contest.
 
"Obviously, we played a very good first half and unfortunately, the game is 40 minutes and not 20 minutes," head coach Pat Baldwin said. "The thing that I thought we did was get off to a poor start [in the second half]. We turned the ball over right away and gave up some 3's and it went from up four points to down eight. We used two timeouts to try and calm the guys down and get our composure back, but it was too much to overcome."
 
Milwaukee did dig back in and rally, trimming the 20-point deficit down to 10 at 68-58, but could get no closer. The victory extended NKU's win streak at home to 16 games dating back to last season.
 
"In this game, there are going to be times when teams go on runs," Baldwin said. "What it takes to withstand any kind of run that a team makes is mental toughness. Once we get that mental toughness and learn how to win, even in an environment like this, I think we are going to be in great shape."
 
Jake Wright led the way for the Panthers, finishing with 16 points, which included four three-pointers.
 
Vance Johnson joined him in double-figures, scoring 11 points to go along with a double-double of 12 rebounds.
 
Drew McDermott, the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year, had a big night for the home side, finishing with 30 points and 13 boards.
 
"The x-factor for Northern Kentucky is their experience," Baldwin said. "They have a really good player in McDonald who probably calms them down and makes some of the tough shots that maybe some other guys can't."
 
The start of the second half decided the outcome. Milwaukee committed a pair of turnovers and missed its first three shots to open the door, with NKU taking full advantage. McDonald scored eight points in the 18-2 run, flipping the script in building a 48-36 lead.
 
The Norse eventually led 64-44 with under eight minutes remaining when Milwaukee gave it a go. Nine unanswered got things going, with Wright's steal and layup forcing a timeout at 64-53. MKE had it down to 68-58 before running out of time.
 
Yet another strong start by the defense led the way in the first half, holding NKU to 34.5 percent shooting over the first 20 minutes. The Panthers also grabbed back a huge turn in momentum just before the break. Trailing for only a handful of possessions, one came at 30-29 in the closing minute.
 
A technical was called on McDonald after he made a three, allowing Wright to step to the line and give MKE the lead at 31-30. He then followed that with a swish from the corner as the clock expired, making it 34-30 heading into the locker room.
 
Milwaukee held Northern Kentucky to misses on each of its first six field goal attempts of the night, but the game was tied early, 9-9. Wright hit a triple to break that deadlock and his next made it 17-11 and forced a Norse timeout at the 11:28 mark. DeAndre Abram broke a 19-19 tie with a three-pointer as well.
 
Up next, the Panthers continue the road trip with the drive up I-43 Friday to take on Green Bay. Milwaukee tips off against the Phoenix at 7 p.m., with the game being played on campus in the Kress Center.