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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky University returns home this week for two crucial Great Lakes Valley Conference games, beginning with a Thursday showdown against defending league champion Southern Indiana at 7:45 p.m. NKU, which is 11-2 overall and atop the GLVC East Division standings with a 5-1 record, also plays host to Kentucky Wesleyan at 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The Panthers (13-2 overall, 4-1 GLVC) trail NKU by a half game in the GLVC East. Kentucky Wesleyan also owns an eight-game winning streak entering this week. Both of those games this week will be televised live on ICN-6. NORSE SWEEP BIG ROAD TRIP: NKU remained unbeaten (5-0) on the road this season by defeating Indianapolis (74-59) and Saint Joseph’s (58-55) last week. FROSH PHENOM: The Norse pulled out the win at Saint Joseph’s behind the clutch shooting of freshman guard Dennis Gagai, who buried a pair of 3-pointers in the final 1:24 of the game. He also made two free throws with 7.1 seconds remaining to extend NKU’s lead to 58-55, and the Norse survived a 3-point attempt at the buzzer to walk out of the Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse with the victory. Gagai finished with 14 points to lead NKU. He also made four shots from 3-point range. The Ironton, Ohio, native averages 11.8 points per game and leads the GLVC in 3-point shooting at 54.7 percent. MISTAKE-FREE HOOPSTER: NKU junior guard David McFarland continues to lead the GLVC in assist-to-turnover ratio with an eye-popping 7.71 average, which ranks No. 2 nationally. He has 54 assists and just seven turnovers the entire season. BALANCE RULES: NKU features four players scoring in double figures, led by senior forward Harrison Morton’s 13.5 ppg. Senior guard Anthony Teague is scoring 12.0 ppg and has made a team-leading 35 shots from 3-point range. Junior forward DeAaron Williams averages 10.7 ppg and is shooting 65.9 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Scott Bibbins is scoring 8.9 ppg, and senior forward Vincent Humphrey averages 8.4 ppg. Bibbins leads NKU in free-throw shooting (.935), while Humphrey is second on the team in that category at .857. LONG-RANGE SUCCESS: NKU is No. 1 in the GLVC in both 3-point shooting percentage (.421) and 3-pointers made per game (9.69). BEZOLD NEARS 70 WINS: NKU head coach Dave Bezold is now 66-37 in four years. He figures to reach the 70-win plateau faster than any other coach in Norse history. Former NKU head coach Mike Beitzel reached 70 wins in the middle of his fifth season (117 games) and is currently the fastest to 70 victories with the Norse. ABOUT SOUTHERN INDIANA: The Screaming Eagles are 9-4 overall, 3-2 in the GLVC. Southern Indiana is in second place in the GLVC West Division. Senior center Norman Plummer leads the GLVC in scoring (21.0 ppg) and is No. 3 in rebounding (10.8 rpg). The former University of Dayton standout was named the Division II Bulletin National Player of the Month for December.
TOUGH TEAM: Southern Indiana has defeated NKU eight consecutive times. The Norse have not posted a win against the Screaming Eagles since Jan. 10, 2004, when NKU held on for an 81-80 victory over then-No. 1 Southern Indiana in Regents Hall. THE LAST TIME AGAINST SOUTHERN INDIANA: On March 4, 2007, in the championship game of the GLVC Tournament, Southern Indiana rallied for a 63-61 victory over NKU at Evansville, Ind. The Screaming Eagles - holding a 62-61 lead in the closing seconds of the game - had to sweat out a last-second shot attempt by NKU’s Billy Finnell, who missed a driving, off-balance shot from the right side of the lane. Finnell's shot attempt hit the side of the backboard and was rebounded by Rashard Sullivan. NKU fouled Kenny Love with 0.1 seconds remaining, and he made the second of two free throws to extend Southern Indiana’s lead to 63-61. The Norse attempted a full-court pass that was intercepted, and Southern Indiana escaped with the victory. NKU built a 56-46 lead with 9:52 remaining on Harrison Morton's basket, but Southern Indiana countered with a 12-3 run to cut the Norse advantage to 59-58 with 2:11 left. Screaming Eagle guard Kenny Page capped the run by grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring while being fouled. He converted the free throw, and NKU’s lead was down to a point. After Morton made a pair of free throws with 1:52 left to extend NKU’s lead to 61-58, Southern Indiana turned the ball over and the Norse appeared on their way to winning the GLVC title for the second time in four years. Finnell, however, had a pass stolen by Love, who raced down the floor for a layup that brought Southern Indiana to within 61-60 with 1:17 remaining. NKU still owned that lead with less than a minute remaining when Sullivan missed a short jumper. Page, however, again worked his way inside for an offensive rebound and tipped in the miss to give Southern Indiana a 62-61 advantage with 34 seconds on the clock. THE LAST TIME AGAINST KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: On Feb. 15, 2007, Steven Wright and Vincent Humphrey combined for 39 points as NKU posted a 67-49 win over Kentucky Wesleyan in Regents Hall. In the first meeting last season at Owensboro, Ky., NKU defeated Kentucky Wesleyan, 76-65. Wright scored 16 points in that victory, while Kevin Schappell added 14 points. STREAK AGAINST THE PANTHERS: NKU owns six consecutive wins against Kentucky Wesleyan. Norse head coach Dave Bezold is 6-0 against the Panthers. |
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