The Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team fell to Youngstown State 81-77 Saturday night. The Norse fall to 18-10 overall and 9-6 in the Horizon League while the Penguins improve to 11-8 overall and 5-11 in league play.

The loss drops the Norse back to fifth place in the Horizon League standings behind Wright State and Green Bay.

It was a tight game throughout, with nine total lead changes on the night. No team led by more than four in the first half and the largest lead of the game was eight. The Norse led by six with 9:47 to go, but the Penguins chipped away until the three minute mark when they would go on a 10-1 run to take the lead for the final time.

The Norse shot 40 percent on the night while the Penguins shot 48 percent. The Penguins outscored the Norse 44-34 in the paint and scored 14 points off 12 Norse turnovers. The Norse outrebounded Youngstown State 46-34, marking the fifth time all season the Norse lost when they outrebounded their opponent.

Five Penguins scored in double figures against the Norse. Cameron Morse led all scorers with 20 points while also dishing out seven assists and grabbing five rebounds. Matt Donlan followed with 14 points and seven rebounds. 

Mason Faulkner scored 16 points for NKU. Carson Williams finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double while Drew McDonald scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The Norse will return home to face Wright State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.. A win would secure a tiebreaker advantage for NKU, who beat the Raiders earlier in the season. The game will be available on ESPN3.