The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team fell to UMBC 76-75 in Baltimore Sunday afternoon. The Norse are now 7-4 on the season while the Retrievers are 8-4 on the season.

Drew McDonald led the way for NKU with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Carson Williams scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds. Lavone Holland II scored 15 points and dished out six assists.

All that wouldn’t be enough to beat the Retrievers, who were led by 31 points and six assists from Jairus Lyles. Joe Sherburne scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds.

NKU shot 48 percent from the field while UMBC shot just 42 percent. However, the Retrievers shot 43 percent from three point range while the Norse shot just 39 percent from three. The Retrievers also went 16-19 from the free throw line while the Norse made just 12 of their 16 free throw attempts. 

The second half was mostly a back and forth affair, but the Norse held a six point lead with 7:25 remaining in the second half. They would not be able to hold that lead however and the Retrievers would take a 73-72 lead with 3:25 and would go ahead for good with 1:35 remaining. 

McDonald missed a jumper with 44 seconds left that would have put NKU ahead and then Holland would miss the potential game winning layup with nine seconds left.

Things don’t get easier for the Norse on Tuesday, when they will face Texas A&M in College Station. The Aggies are currently ranked ninth in the country. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3 and SEC Network Plus. The game can also be heard on ESPN 1530.