Miami led 34-32 at the break but fell behind early in the second half. Although the RedHawks had been struggling at the line recently, they enjoyed enough success against NKU to hang with the Norse into the final minute.
Miami connected on 20-of-22 free throws but hit just 39.2 percent from the field and 24 percent (6-of-25) outside the arc.
Northern Kentucky was good on 45.9 percent from the field, giving it eight more field goals than MU. (It also had one more trey with 7-of-24 from distance).
The Norse got to the line for just 12 free throws, connecting on nine. However, fouls played a role in limiting the efforts of forward Bam Bowman. The junior played 21 minutes and managed just six points while drawing four fouls. The fouls hampered him while trying to operate inside.
His counterpart, 6-8 senior forward Drew McDonald, took advantage, scoring a game-high 21 points. He was 0-for-6 outside the arc, but connected on 8-of-12 inside and was 5-of-6 from the line. In addition, he recorded 10 rebounds for a double-double night.
Three other Norse also reached double figures, with senior Zahnay Robinson notching 19 points, followed by Tyler Sharpe (15) and Dantez Walton (10).
Nike Sibande led Miami scoring with 13. Dalonte Brown dropped in 13 points and Abdoulaye Harouna came off the bench to chip in 10 points.
Three Sibande free throws at 9:22 of the second period gave MU its final lead, 51-50. Paul Djoko, however, put the hosts back in front with a driving layup and Zaynah Robinson followed with a three.
NKU broke a 55-all tie with seven straight points and managed to hold off Miami challenges the rest of the way. Dalonte Brown’s dunk at 1:08 pulled MU with two at 66-64, but six Norse free throws down the stretch preserved a victory that broke NKU’s two-game losing streak and snapped Miami’s three-game win skein.