NKU’s Harrison Morton scores inside

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team will hit the road for a pair of games this week, beginning with an 8:30 p.m. contest on Thursday against Southern Illinois at Edwardsville.

NKU will conclude the road trip with a 4:15 p.m. game at Quincy on Saturday. NKU is 13-5 overall, and the Norse are tied with Saint Joseph’s for first place in the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division with an 8-2 record.

SIUE (15-3 overall, 9-2 GLVC) is ranked No. 18 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll and owns an 11-game winning streak going into Thursday night.

NKU STREAK AT FOUR: NKU enters Thursday with a four-game winning streak after posting a 75-63 victory against Bellarmine on Saturday. The Norse’s longest winning streak this season is six (a 6-0 start).

HAWK TIME: Sophomore guard Mark Hawkins drained a trio of key 3-pointers to shift the momentum during the first half of NKU’s win over Bellarmine. The Norse trailed 12-2 early, but Hawkins ignited the comeback with three 3-pointers.

Hawkins finished with 12 points Saturday. He averages 4.9 points per game and is No. 2 on the team in 3-pointers made with 22.

TORRID SHOOTER: Kevin Schappell scored a game-high 23 points Saturday for NKU. The junior swingman scored 15 points in the first half on 6-for-7 shooting from the field. He also hit a trio of 3-pointers in the first half as the Norse rallied from a 10-point deficit.

Schappell leads NKU in scoring (13.3 ppg) and 3-pointers made (33). He ranks No. 1 in the GLVC in 3-point percentage (.508).

FINNELL DOES IT ALL: NKU freshman point guard Billy Finnell scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists against Bellarmine. Finnell averages 8.3 ppg and he ranks seventh in the GLVC in assists per game (4.28 apg). He also ranks fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.54.

NKU’s David McFarland

NORSE IN REGENTS HALL: NKU is 10-1 this season in Regents Hall. The Norse are 3-4 on the road. NKU is 6-1 at home against GLVC opponents.

SUPER SOPHOMORE: NKU sophomore forward Harrison Morton continued his outstanding play Saturday with nine points and seven rebounds against Bellarmine.

McFARLAND WITH THE ASSIST: NKU freshman guard David McFarland dished out five assists and had no turnovers in the victory against Bellarmine.

NORSE FROM DOWNTOWN: NKU used 11-for-23 shooting from 3-point range to defeat Bellarmine. Aaron Smith hit two key 3-pointers in the second half, and Scott Bibbins also drained a trey after intermission.

ABOUT SIUE: The Cougars are led by junior guard Ty Johnson, who averages 13.3 ppg and is 37-for-89 from 3-point range. Sophomore guard J.B. Jones is scoring 11.1 ppg, while junior forward Mike Hardiek averages 10.6 ppg. SIUE ranks No. 1 in the GLVC in both scoring defense (59.8 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (.410).

THE LAST TIME AGAINST SIUE: On March 5, 2005, Mike Kelsey poured in 35 points as NKU upset second-seeded SIUE, 73-62, in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.

Kelsey made seven 3-pointers and was 10-for-15 from the field as sixth-seeded NKU advanced to the GLVC championship game for the second time in three seasons. Kelsey scored 25 points in the second half as the Norse built a 19-point lead and avenged two regular-season losses to SIUE.

Kelsey’s 35-point performance tied the tournament record, which was set two days earlier by Sullivan Sykes of Saint Joseph’s.

Kelsey drained three consecutive 3-pointers midway through the second half to give NKU a 60-41 lead with 6:58 remaining in the game. SIUE pulled within 62-53 with 3:17 left, but NKU made 11 free throws in the last three minutes to seal the victory and become the lowest seed to ever advance to the GLVC championship game.

THE LAST TIME AT SIUE: On Jan. 27, 2005, Anthony Jones made three free throws in the final eight seconds of the game as SIUE held off NKU, 69-66, at the Vadalabene Center.

Jones, who finished with 11 points off the bench, converted two free throws with eight seconds left to give SIUE a 68-63 lead. Steve Purdon, however, responded by draining a long 3-point shot to bring NKU within 68-66 with 2.6 seconds remaining.

Jones was fouled on the ensuing inbound play with 1.6 seconds left, and he made the second of two free throws to extend SIUE’s lead to 69-66.

Dan Heimos and J.B. Jones each scored 16 points to lead SIUE. Mike Kelsey led NKU with 15 points.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST QUINCY: On Feb. 24, 2005, Phil Gettinger and Jordan Roth combined for 35 points and 18 rebounds as Quincy posted a 70-64 win over NKU in Regents Hall.

NKU had trouble stopping the 6-foot-9 Gettinger, who scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. Quincy held an 18-point lead with 7:41 remaining in the first half, but NKU went on a 12-2 spurt to go into the break only down 32-24. Derek Smith sparked the run by scoring six straight points.

After the break, the Hawks ran out to a 15 point lead with 10:47 left in the game. The Norse responded again with a 14-2 run. During the run, Kelsey hit two 3-pointers, and Kevin Reinhardt capped the run with two consecutive layups.

The Norse pulled to within three with 7:16 remaining on the second layup by Reinhardt, but the Hawks answered each run. Smith led the Norse with 21 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.