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RENSSELAER, Ind. - Too much of Saint Joseph’s Ronald Coleman on the offensive end of the court spelled the end of Northern Kentucky University’s hope of reaching the 20-win plateau Thursday night. Coleman scored a game-high 28 points and hit a pair of clinching free throws in the final seconds as Saint Joseph’s held off NKU, 69-65, in the Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse. The Pumas improved to 15-11 overall, 10-8 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. NKU, which clinched the GLVC east Division title Monday with a win over Bellarmine, dropped to 19-7 overall, 12-6 GLVC. The Norse had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds of regulation, but Billy Finnell’s driving shot was off the mark. Coleman then hit a pair of free throws for the 69-65 margin. “We missed some free throws and had too many turnovers,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said.”In the first half, we had too many careless turnovers. We didn’t block out a couple of times late in the game, and Saint Joseph’s got the rebound both times. That’s how you lose on the road, especially against a good team.” Travis Rasso came off the bench and recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead NKU. Mark Hawkins also sparked the Norse by draining a trio of 3-pointers and finishing with 10 points. Steven Wright and Harrison Morton each scored 11 for NKU, which shot 42.6 percent from the field. Wright also dished out a team-leading six assists. Coleman, a 6-foot-6 forward, was 8-for-13 from the field. He also converted 10-of-13 free throws and grabbed eight rebounds. Andrew Helmer added 15 points, and Devin Thomas scored 11. The Pumas shot 45.5 percent from the field. NKU, seeking its first 20-win campaign since the 2002-03 season, plays at Indianapolis on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. |
