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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team begins play at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at 2:30 p.m. (CST) Friday against Missouri-Rolla. The GLVC Tournament will be held in Roberts Stadium at Evansville, Ind. NKU is the No. 2 seed from the GLVC East Division, while Missouri-Rolla claimed the No. 3 seed from the GLVC West. NKU enters the eight-team GLVC Tournament with a 20-6 overall record, while Missouri-Rolla is 17-10 and enters the postseason with a great deal of momentum after posting road wins at Southern Illinois at Edwardsville and Quincy. The Norse are the defending GLVC Tournament champions. The NKU/Missouri-Rolla winner will advance to Saturday’s semifinals at 8:30 p.m. (CST) against the Drury/Kentucky Wesleyan survivor. The GLVC championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (CST) Sunday. The winner of the GLVC Tournament receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The 64-team NCAA Division II Tournament field will be announced March 4. All NKU games this week can be heard live on WIOK (107.5 FM) and on the Internet at www.nku.edu/~athletics. GLVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: NKU owns a 15-6 all-time record in the GLVC Tournament, and the Norse have won three GLVC Tournament championships (1999, 2000 and ‘06). NKU is 14-5 all-time at Roberts Stadium during GLVC Tournament play. In 1998, NKU won a first-round game at home against Bellarmine before losing at Southern Indiana in the semifinals. The following season, the GLVC Tournament moved to Roberts Stadium. A SWATTING MACHINE: NKU sophomore Cassie Brannen blocked a school-record 12 shots against Indianapolis on Saturday to key the Norse’s 58-53 road victory. Brannen ranks No. 2 in the GLVC in blocks (2.58 bpg) and leads the league in field-goal percentage at .593. She averages 8.7 points per game.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB: NKU senior guard Karyn Creager joined the Norse’s 1,000-point club Saturday night when she drained a 3-pointer in the second half. Creager is the 23rd member of NKU’s 1,000-point club, and she enters the GLVC Tournament with 1,009 career points. A native of Leipsic, Ohio, Creager averages 10.2 ppg and ranks No. 3 in the GLVC in free-throw percentage at .902. WINNER MOVES CLOSER TO 1,000: NKU senior forward Brittany Winner enters the GLVC Tournament with 923 career points. Winner, who played at Elon (N.C.) as a freshman before transferring to NKU, poured in 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds against Indianapolis in the regular-season finale last Saturday. The Minster, Ohio, native leads NKU in scoring (11.8 ppg), steals (33) and 3-pointers made (36). THE MAGIC 20: NKU has reached the 20-win mark for the 14th time under head coach Nancy Winstel. NO. 1 IN THE GLVC: NKU continues to lead the GLVC in field-goal percentage (.465), blocked shots (6.35 bpg) and field-goal percentage defense (.362). HEALY’S BOARDS: NKU junior center Angela Healy ranks No. 7 in the GLVC in rebounding at 7.0 rpg. She also averages 10.8 ppg. THE LAST TIME AGAINST MISSOURI-ROLLA: Earlier this season on Jan. 11 in Regents Hall, NKU posted a 72-51 win over Missouri-Rolla. Katie Butler and Karyn Creager combined for 37 points to lead NKU, which held Missouri-Rolla to 32.8 percent shooting from the field. Butler poured in 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds for NKU, while Creager added 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Butler netted 15 of her 20 points in the second half as NKU gradually pulled away from the Lady Miners. She drained a 3-pointer to begin a 16-6 run in the second half that stretched a 32-25 lead into a 48-31 cushion with 11:49 remaining. Butler also blocked three shots and was 9-for-11 from the free-throw line. Karmen Graham scored her 1,000th career point in that game by hitting a pair of free throws. LAST SEASON’S ROAD TO THE GLVC TITLE: In 2006, NKU knocked off Missouri-St. Louis (72-62), Quincy (67-49) and Drury (86-73) to win the GLVC Tournament championship.
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