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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky University will play host to UC-Clermont in a non-conference game at 7 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall. The game can be heard live on WIOK (107.5 FM) and on the Internet at www.nku.edu/~athletics. NKU is 5-3 after dropping a 59-53 decision at No. 9 Findlay on Tuesday. FOUL PLAY AT FINDLAY: Findlay rallied from a 13-point deficit Tuesday and converted 18 of 25 free throws in the second half to down NKU. The Oilers improved to 9-1 overall and extended their home winning streak to 45 games. NKU shot 66.7 percent from the field in the first half and took a 35-24 lead into the locker room. The Norse still owned a 10-point lead with less than 11 minutes remaining in the game, but NKU went more than 10 minutes without scoring a field goal and Findlay took full advantage of the offensive drought. The Oilers made 12 free throws in the final 4:31 to pull out the win. Findlay's last field goal, in fact, came on a Marcus Parker layup with 5:31 left. Frank Phillips scored 14 points to lead Findlay, which has not lost at home to a non-conference team since Dec. 28, 1997. Kevin Schappell led NKU with 16 points, and Steven Wright added 14 points before fouling out in the final minute. ABOUT UC-CLERMONT: The Cougars, members of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, a small-college affiliation comparable to NAIA, are 9-7 overall. UC-Clermont shot 59.6 percent from the field Thursday night to defeat Thomas More, 88-66. John Stone pumped in 30 points to lead the Cougars, who kept the Saints winless (0-10) on the season. Stefan Dunn added 27 points in that win for UC-Clermont, which was the USCAA national runner-up last season. THE LAST TIME NKU MET UC-CLERMONT: On Jan. 11, 2005, Mike Kelsey scored 25 points, dished out four assists and finished with three steals as NKU defeated UC-Clermont, 99-72, in Regents Hall. Kelsey, a senior guard and a graduate of Elder High School, connected on five 3-point field goals as NKU improved to 7-7. The Norse shot 52.3 percent from the field and used 13-for-28 shooting from 3-point range to pick up the non-conference victory. Steve Purdon and Kevin Reinhardt each added 14 points for NKU, which collected 29 assists as a team. Jordan Stowers led the Norse with nine assists as NKU defeated UC-Clermont in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Travis Rasso finished with 11 points and five rebounds for the Norse, who used a 36-12 advantage in bench scoring. Derek Smith added nine points and four rebounds, while teammate Harrison Morton had eight points and five assists. NKU built a 47-33 halftime lead by shooting 58.6 percent from the field. Kelsey and Purdon combined for 21 first-half points, and the Norse rolled to the easy win in the second half. Kevin Schappell pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds for NKU, which won the battle of the boards by a 38-34 margin. Pat Cary added eight points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. |
