HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. -- After trailing by nine with three minutes to play, the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team rallied to within one but couldn't complete the comeback as it fell, 65-62, to Northern Kentucky on Thursday night at BB&T Arena. 

NIU (6-5) held the Norse to just 30.6 percent (19-of-62) in the contest but Northern Kentucky made 21 free throws on 36 attempts to just four by the Huskies on nine attempts as Northern Kentucky earned its second three-point victory of the season against NIU. 

Junior Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter) scored a team-high 18 points with seven rebounds while senior Dante Thorpe (Washington, D.C./Triton College) added 17 points, including a pair of clutch three-pointers in the final two minutes to pull the Huskies close, along with five rebounds and four assists. 

NIU was within a pair on a basket by sophomore Rod Henry-Hayes (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) with just over five minutes to play but Northern Kentucky scored the next seven as the Norse took a nine-point lead, 58-49, with just over three minutes to play. 

The Huskies had trimmed the Norse lead down to seven before Thorpe knocked in a triple to bring the Huskies within four, 60-56, with 1:46 left. Northern Kentucky answered with a pair of free throws before a layup by German and another triple from Thorpe brought NIU within one, 62-61, with 41 seconds to play. 

On the ensuing possession, NIU was unable to get a stop as the Norse pushed their lead back to three with 16 seconds to play as Northern Kentucky hung on for the victory. 

The Norse jumped out to a quick six-point lead, 11-5, in the opening four minutes of the contest. Northern Kentucky's lead reached seven until an 8-0 burst gave NIU a 15-14 lead just past the midway point of the opening half. Senior Jaylen Key (Milwaukee, Wis./Homestead) opened the spurt with a layup, senior Levi Bradley (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) added a 15-foot jumper and Thorpe scored the next four as the Huskies took a one-point advantage. 

Key finished with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field; Bradley had seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. 

After the Norse scored the next five to go back in front by four, NIU answered with the next four courtesy of junior Noah McCarty (Rock Falls, Ill./Sterling Newman) and Key as the Huskies evened the game at 19 with 6:38 left before the break. 

The lead swung back-and-forth between the Huskies and Norse until NIU finished the half with an 8-0 to lead by a half-dozen at the break. Bradley knocked in a triple to start the burst, German added a reverse layup and Henry-Hayes knocked in a triple from the corner as NIU led 31-25 at the intermission

Northern Kentucky (10-3) raced out of the locker room with the first six points to pull even, 31-31. 

A 9-2 burst for Northern Kentucky gave the Norse a 43-39 lead with just over 12 minutes to play. The NKU advantage reached four, 45-41, before a triple from Henry-Hayes brought NIU back within one. 

Henry-Hayes had eight points and four rebounds in the contest. 

The Norse continued to hold a narrow lead until a 7-0 run gave NKU a nine-point lead and setup the game's final three minutes. 

Drew McDonald scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Northern Kentucky, Tyler Sharpe and Jaylen Tate each added 14 points and Dantez Walton chipped in 11 for the Norse. 

NIU will return home on Saturday afternoon, December 22, as the Huskies host Chicago State in the final game before the Christmas break. Tipoff against the Cougars is scheduled for 1 p.m., and tickets are available from the NIU Convocation Center Box Office, by calling 815-753-PACK (7225) or by visiting NIUHuskies.com/tickets.