DeLAND, Fla. – Chris Perez ignited a game-changing 25-10 run in the second half with 10 of his 17 points Thursday night as Stetson rallied for a 71-59 victory overNorthern Kentucky in the Edmunds Center.
Northern Kentucky (4-10 overall, 2-4 Atlantic Sun Conference) owned a 33-27 lead after John Staley’s basket to open the second half. Stetson countered by scoring the next nine points to grab a 36-33 advantage on a layup by Perez.
Chad Jackson’s basket cut the Stetson lead to 36-35, but the Hatters capped their 25-10 run with a 16-8 spurt to build a 52-43 advantage on Aaron Graham’s 3-pointer. Perez keyed the Stetson second-half run with 10 points, including six straight that gave the Hatters a 38-35 advantage.
“We let them shoot 57 percent from the field in the second half and that allowed them to score 44 points after the break,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “We just were not tough enough in the second half. That’s the bottom line.”
Jackson led NKU with 15 points and eight rebounds. Ethan Faulkner added 12 points and five assists for the Norse.
Stetson (8-10 overall, 5-2 A-Sun) finished the game at 49.1 percent shooting from the field. Joel Naburgs scored 17 points for the Hatters, while Graham and AdamPegg each finished with 13.
