Men’s basketball traveled to Milwaukee for a rematch of their 79-59 loss in January.

The Norse were perfect on offense for the first five minutes of play, with Trey Robinson, Sam Vinson, and Dan Gherezgher Jr. all going a combined 5-5 from the field, and 2-2 from beyond the arc. The hot start gave the Norse a 12-7 lead at the first media timeout. 

A made free throw from Milwaukee’s Erik Pratt started a small 5-0 run for the Panthers to make it a four-point game, but back-to-back threes from Josh Dilling gave the Norse a comfortable 22-13 lead.

A 7-0 run from the Panthers cut their deficit to five, both teams traded baskets until the Panthers went on another 5-0 run to make it a one-possession game. The Norse led 33-31 at the final media timeout of the half. 

Following the timeout, the Norse made just one field goal before halftime, allowing the Panthers’ 11-2 run to take the 42-35 lead at halftime. 

A 7-2 Norse run to start the second half concluded with Keeyan Itejere dunking the ball to make it a four-point game, but the Norse struggled to find offensive rhythm. They went five minutes without a field goal until Randall Pettus II made a layup. The Panthers capitalized on NKU’s scoring drought and were able to extend their lead to 63-52 with 10 minutes left to play. 

Both teams exchanged baskets, but NKU repeatedly fouled Milwaukee, sending them to the free throw line. The Panthers shot 21-27 from the charity line compared to the Norse’s 4-4. 

The Panthers dominated the Norse on the glass, out rebounding them 43-19 and holding the Norse to just nine offensive rebounds. 

The Norse were never able to get anything going on both sides of the ball, as the Panthers shot 54.2% from the field.

NKU fell to Milwaukee 92-70, dropping to 7-9 in Horizon League play.

The Norse travel to Dayton to take on Wright State Friday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.