Highland Heights, Ky. – Brandon Rush led four players scoring in double figures but the Youngstown State men's basketball team dropped a 79-76 decision to Northern Kentucky on Thursday night at Truist Arena.
The Penguins fall to 10-5 overall and 2-2 in Horizon League play while the Norse improve to 8-7 overall and 3-1 in the league.
Rush posted his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds while DJ Burns posted 14 points and eight boards. Brett Thompson and Bryson Langdon each added 10 points.
Leading the Norse was Marques Warrick with a game-high 29 points and Keeyan Itejere posted 19 points.
The Penguins, who lead for more than 32 minutes, used a hot-shooting first half and led by as many as 16 points in the first 15 minutes of the game.
Youngstown State made nine 3-pointers and shot 55.6 percent from the floor to build its advantage.
The Penguins scored the first five points of the game and built a 15-9 edge sparked a 3-pointer by Rush and a basket by Burns.
Northern Kentucky trimmed the lead to 17-16 before the Penguins went on a 13-1 run to take a 30-17 lead with 7:14 left. Jaylen Bates hit two 3-pointers and Burns added a third during the run while Langdon and Gabe Dynes each had a basket.
After a pair free throws by Bates, Rush nailed his second 3-pointer to give the Penguins a 35-19 lead with at the 5:57 mark.
Two more 3-pointers by Rush and Thompson gave the Penguins a 15-point lead, 41-26, with 2:33 left before halftime.
The Norse scored 10 of the final 14 points to get the lead down to nine, 45-36, at intermission.
NKU found its shooting touch in the second half connecting 53.3 percent from the field while the Penguins cooled off at 40.7 percent.
After a Rush layup at the 16:58 mark gave the Penguins a 52-40 lead, the Norse outscored the Penguins 21-10 to take its first lead of the game, 61-60, with 9:01 to go.
The teams battled through three ties and three lead changes over the next seven-and-a-half minutes that found the Norse with a 74-71 lead. Rush hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game to tie the score at 74-74 with 1:37 left.
Warrick hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left, and, after a basket by Burns, he nailed two free throws seal the win.
Rush's game-tying attempts with six seconds left spun out of the rim.
The Penguins host IUPUI, Sunday, Jan. 7. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Beeghly Center.
