COVINGTON – It was an up and down night in a 77-52 loss to Northridge on Friday where Covington hung right with the Polar Bears until a few stretches of mistakes put the Buccs in catch-up mode.

In front of a large crowd of Buccaneer supporters and students, the opening frame was back-and-forth as the Buccaneers trailed 16-14 until a bucket by the Polar Bears at the buzzer made the score 18-14 at the end of one. This led to a 19-2 run for Northridge to spark a 37-21 lead for the Polar Bears at the break.

“I thought we played better in stretches,” commented Covington coach Logan Carey. “We just have to find a way to stop compounding our mistakes and believe we can win. We have the assets to compete. Now we just need to believe.”

The Buccs played right with Northridge in the third, but once again the mistakes piled up in the fourth as the Polar Bears outscored Covington 26-17 in the final period.

The loss drops Covington’s record to 0-3 overall and 0-3 in the TRC. The Buccs look to capture their first win tomorrow night at Mississinawa Valley in a non-conference game.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:
Covington – 14 – 21- 35 – 52
Northridge – 18 – 39 – 51 – 77

COVINGTON SCORING:
Britton Miller – 18
Brogen Angle – 12
Bryson Hite – 9
Gunner Kimmel – 9
Tanner Palsgrove – 3
Connor Humphrey – 1

NORTHRIDGE SCORING:
J. Martin – 24
A. Davis – 22
S. Alexander – 6
Q. Williams – 6
D. Smith – 5
A. Price – 4
E. Conners – 4
C. Evans – 2
D. Anderson – 2
D. Davis – 2

THREE-POINT SCORING:
Covington – Brogen Angle (2), Tanner Palsgrove (1), Britton Miller (1)
Northridge – A. Davis (4), D. Smith (1)