Men's Basketball Closes Out Non-Conference Play at Northern Kentucky

Sunday, December 21

Highland Heights, KY

12:00 PM

College of Charleston

Northern Kentucky

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Connor Hickman dribble the basketball past a defender

Men's Basketball Closes Out Non-Conference Play at Northern Kentucky

12/20/2025 8:28:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Watch Listen Live Stats Game Notes

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The College of Charleston men's basketball team closes out non-conference play on the road at Northern Kentucky on Sunday, December 21. Action is set for 12:00 p.m. at Truist Arena.

STORYLINES

Sunday's contest will mark just the second all-time meeting between the programs. The first meeting took place a season ago at TD Arena with the Cougars topping the Norse 79-64.
Charleston is coming off an 82-78 victory over crosstown rival The Citadel. The Cougars erased a 16-point first half deficit to secure the program's 14th straight win over the Bulldogs. Jlynn Counter led Charleston with 22 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Christian Reeves recorded his first career double-double with a career-high 14 points and ten rebounds, going a perfect 5-5 from the field.
Martin Kalu was named the CAA Rookie of the Week for his performances against South Florida and Charlotte after averaging 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The German product shot 52.9% from the field and 50% from distance with a game-high 18 points vs. Charlotte. Kalu sank three straight triples late vs. The Citadel to help Charleston pull away in the final minutes.
Three different Cougars are currently averaging double-figure points per game, led by Connor Hickman with 13.9 and followed by Counter with 13.4 and Kalu with 12.2. Hickman has reached double-figure scoring in six of his seven games played, while Counter and Kalu have scored in double-figures in all three of Charleston's December contests.
Chris Mack's program currently ranks 25th in the nation in turnovers per game, averaging 9.8 per game.
Redshirt sophomore Chol Machot has recorded 32 blocks this season, good for ninth in the country. His 2.67 blocks per game rank 15th in the nation.
The program is approaching its 1,400 overall victory, currently sitting at 1,389 all time wins.

SCOUTING THE NORSE

Northern Kentucky enters Sunday's contest 9-4 overall. The Norse are coming off a 82-77 loss to Oakland at home on December 17. Kael Robinson led the Norse with 22 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Dan Gherezgher leads NKU on the year, averaging 16.5 points per game followed by Robinson with 16.2 points per game. Gherezgher ranks second in the nation in total field goal attempts (192) and eighth in total three point attempts (106). LJ Wells controls the glass for the Norse, grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game.
The Norse currently rank 14th in the nation in fast break points per game, earning 18.38 points per game in transition. NKU also ranks in the top 25 in the nation in steals per game (10.0, 21st), and turnovers forced per game (16.3, 18th).

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