Kevin Reinhardt

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team will play at Kentucky Wesleyan at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

NKU is 14-9 after dropping an 84-64 decision at Bellarmine on Tuesday night. The Norse are 9-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Kentucky Wesleyan is 6-17 overall, 3-13 GLVC.

TOUGH KNIGHT IN LOUISVILLE: Bellarmine shot 54.5 percent from the field and placed four players in double figures Tuesday night en route to an 84-64 win over NKU in Knights Hall.

Calvin Fowler led Bellarmine with 21 points and eight rebounds. The Knights shot 54.5 percent from the field and forced 18 NKU turnovers to avenge a 12-point loss to the Norse on Jan. 28.

NKU jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Bellarmine countered with a 15-0 run and led the rest of the way. The Knights held a 39-24 halftime lead and made 65.4 percent of their shots during the final 20 minutes to seal the win.

Kyle Thrasher and Matt Otte each scored 12 points for Bellarmine. Marcus Flynn came off the bench and added 11 points and eight assists.

Kevin Reinhardt led NKU with 22 points. Mark Hawkins added 11 points for the Norse, who made just 36 percent of their shots from the field. Billy Finnell scored eight points for NKU.

EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST KWC: On Jan. 5, Mark Hawkins scored 15 points and made four 3-pointers as NKU rallied past Kentucky Wesleyan, 71-63, in Regents Hall. The sophomore guard drained a trio of 3-pointers in the first half en route to scoring 12 points to keep the Norse in the game.

Gavin Ludgood (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Kevin Schappell (16 points, five rebounds) also played key roles in the Norse victory.

After Kentucky Wesleyan took a 40-35 lead with 16:51 left in the game, NKU used a 10-2 run to gain a 45-42 advantage on a 3-pointer by David McFarland with 14:20 on the clock. A basket by Tyson Martin at the 9:28 mark gave Kentucky Wesleyan a 54-51 lead, but Ludgood countered with a short jumper to bring NKU within 54-53.

On the Norse’s next possession, Scott Bibbins found Hawkins open on the wing for a 3-point attempt. Hawkins drained the shot to give NKU a 56-54 advantage, and the Norse led the remainder of the game.

NKU’s defense also tightened up late in the second half. Kentucky Wesleyan started the final 20 minutes by hitting seven of its first 10 shots from the field, including four 3-pointers.

LAST SEASON IN OWENSBORO: On Nov. 26, 2004, Mike Kelsey and Kevin Reinhardt combined for 46 points as NKU held off Kentucky Wesleyan, 79-67, in the Owensboro Sportscenter.

NKU built a 26-point lead in the second half and coasted past the Panthers. The Norse shot 53.8 percent from the field and limited Kentucky Wesleyan to 37.3 percent from the floor.

Kelsey, who finished with a game-high 25 points, scored 13 in the first half as NKU built a 42-26 lead. Reinhardt collected 14 of his 21 points before halftime.

The Norse held a 54-28 lead after a layup by Sean Rowland at the 16:01 mark. Wesleyan, however, responded with a 14-2 run to cut the lead to 56-42 with 9:56 remaining. Kelsey stopped the run with a layup to give NKU a 58-42 lead.

NKU has beaten Kentucky Wesleyan in the Owensboro Sportscenter twice in the past three seasons. The Norse also won at Kentucky Wesleyan in the 2002-03 season.