Box Score (PDF)

Highland Heights, Ky. – Todd Johnson scored a career-high 24 points on eight three-pointers to lead Northern Kentucky to an 84-65 victory over USC Upstate Saturday from The Bank of Kentucky Center.

Tyler White added 19 points and three assists and Tayler Persons chipped in with 14 points and four assists off the bench. Jalen Billups registered a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Ty Greene led Upstate with 21 points and hit five three-pointers to move into third place on the school's all-time single season list with 86. Fred Miller finished with 13 points and four assists and ShunQuez Stephens had 10 rebounds.

Johnson gave Northern Kentucky its largest lead of the first half when his three-pointer at the 7:23 mark put the Norse ahead 25-17. Upstate answered with a 10-2 run over the next 4:25 to tie the score at 27 before Johnson hit another three-pointer to put the Norse back up by three.

A three-pointer by Josh Cuthbertson and a jumper in the lane by Stephens late in the half pulled Upstate even at 32-32, but Johnson knocked down his sixth trey of the half just before the buzzer sounded to put the Norse ahead 35-32.

Northern Kentucky used an 11-3 run early in the second half to build a 50-40 lead capped with a three-pointer from Johnson.

A three-pointer from Mario Blessing at the 7:16 mark cut the deficit to three points, but Northern Kentucky held Upstate without a field goal for the next 5:31 to open up an 80-65 advantage with just over two minutes remaining.

Northern Kentucky shot 64 percent from the field in the second half and held the Spartans to 11 field goals en route to earning the No. 4 seed in next week's Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.

Upstate begins its quest for an NCAA Tournament bid Tuesday at 7 p.m. when the third-seeded Spartans host No. 6 seed Kennesaw State in the A-Sun Tournament quarterfinals from the Hodge Center.  

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