Mercer University
Northern Ky.
Men's Basketball Drops 63-46 Decision at Northern Kentucky
1/24/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – A season-high scoring effort for Mercer junior Bud Thomas wasn't enough as the Bears fell to Northern Kentucky 63-46 in Thursday night's Atlantic Sun men's basketball game at the Bank of Kentucky Center.
Mercer's loss snapped a two-game winning streak and dropped the team to 12-9 (5-3 A-Sun). Northern Kentucky's second-straight home conference win boosted the team to 5-11 (3-5 A-Sun).
Thomas' 16 points put him in double-figures for the fifth time in the last six outings and came on five-of-eight aim from three-point range. Thomas also added four rebounds, helping the Bears out-board the Norse by a 30-28 edge.
Mercer struggled offensively from the get-go, connecting on just one of its first seven field goals in the opening seven minutes of play. A 12-12 tie was converted into a 26-18 NKU halftime lead as the Bears went the final 6:12 of the period without registering a field goal.
On Mercer's first possession of the second half, Thomas did his best to jump-start the offense with a triple in the corner. The spark wouldn't light, however, as Mercer went scoreless for more than five minutes after his bucket.
With less than six minutes to go, Thomas drilled three treys in less than two minutes to cut the deficit to 49-43. From there, the Norse responded with 14-unanswered points to put the Bears in the rear-view for good.
Junior Jakob Gollon collected four points, two assists and a team-high eight rebounds in the losing effort. Senior Travis Smith netted seven points on the strength of five-of-six free throw shooting.
Mercer returns to Atlantic Sun action on Saturday, traveling to Nashville to meet Lipscomb. Game time at Allen Arena is slated for 7:30 p.m.
