Men’s basketball took on Youngstown State who was without its leading scorer EJ Farmer, who averages 14.4 points per game.
The game tipped off with Randal Pettus II draining a three on the first possession of the game, followed by Sam Vinson hitting a jumper to give the Norse the early 5-0 lead.
Youngstown’s Ty Harper responded with a three to start a 7-0 run for the Penguins.
The Norse tied the game three times but were unable to regain their early lead as the Penguins led 15-13 at the first media timeout.
Harper hit his third three of the night, a season high, as the Penguins continued to extend their lead.
The Norse had no defensive answer for the Penguins, as Juwan Maxey knocked down a three to start a 10-0 run for the Penguins to give them the double digit lead.
The Penguins defense shut down the Norse, as they held them scoreless for five minutes, holding them to shooting just 10-24 in the first half. LJ Wells broke the seal for the Norse to cut the deficit down to 32-19 with six minutes left in the half
With five seconds left, Youngstown’s Gabe Dynes grabbed a missed shot and slammed the ball through the basket. NKU’s Keeyan Itejere got called for a foul, and Dynes completed the three-point play to give the Penguins a 20 point lead over the Norse.
With one second left in the half Robinson knocked down a three at the buzzer as the Norse headed into the locker room down 42-25 at halftime.
The Penguins started off slow to start the second half, as they made just one field goal in the first six minutes of the half. The Norse took advantage of that and went on a 11-2 run to cut their deficit down to single digits, as they still trailed 36-45.
The Penguins didn’t stay quiet for long as they knocked down three back-to-back threes to regain the double digit lead, 55-43 with 10 minutes left in regulation.
The Norse kept fighting their way back to single-digit deficits, but the Penguins kept responding with threes. The Norse had no solution for Youngstown shooting 46.4% from beyond the arc, while the Norse struggled, shooting just 28.6%.
At the final media timeout the Penguins led 66-58. The Norse still had time to make the comeback but with every missed shot, the Penguins grabbed the rebound and continued to convert at the free-throw line, shooting a perfect 9-9 throughout the game.
The Norse struggled defensively throughout the game, as they allowed Youngstown’s Maxey to post a career high 19 points and five three-pointers, while Wilkerson also recorded a career high 12 points.
NKU fell to Youngstown 72-61 and dropped to 4-2 in Horizon League Play.
Robinson led the Norse with 19 points and six rebounds.
The Norse host Oakland on Saturday at Truist Arena with tip-off set for 6 p.m.