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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Both teams are on a roll, both own long winning streaks and both programs are seeking berths in the upcoming NCAA Division II Tournament in March. Thursday at 5:30 p.m., Lewis - winners of 13 consecutive games and the No. 1 team in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll - invades Regents Hall to face a Northern Kentucky University squad that has won eight straight games. Lewis is 19-2 overall, 12-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Flyers are atop the GLVC East Division. NKU is 15-5 overall, 9-4 in the GLVC. The Norse are in second place in the GLVC East standings. NKU returns home after a 2-0 road trip in which the Norse became the first GLVC team in history to defeat Drury (52-49) in Weiser Gym at Springfield, Mo. NKU also posted a 93-41 win at Rockhurst on Saturday. BRANNEN EARNS HONOR: Cassie Brannen was named GLVC Player of the Week on Monday for leading her team to a sweep of the road games at Drury and Rockhurst. Brannen, a graduate of Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati, averaged 11.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in the two victories. She began the week by scoring 11 points and blocking four shots as NKU posted a 52-49 victory at Drury. Brannen also grabbed seven rebounds in that game as NKU became the first GLVC team to knock off Drury in Weiser Gym. Brannen used 5-for-9 shooting from the field to key the Norse's victory. On Saturday, the 6-foot-1 sophomore netted 12 points in just 20 minutes of action as NKU extended its winning streak to eight with a 93-41 victory at Rockhurst. Brannen also finished with seven rebounds and three assists. For the week, Brannen shot 60 percent from the field and led an NKU defense that limited its two opponents to an average of 45.0 points per game. The Norse held Rockhurst to just 25.9 percent shooting from the field on Saturday. DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Angela Healy recorded a double-double against Rockhurst, netting 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Healy had 24 points and 16 rebounds against Saint Rose on Dec. 28 for her other double-double this season.
Healy has scored in double-digits and pulled down nine rebounds six times this season. The junior center continues to lead the Norse in scoring (11.0 ppg) and rebounds (7.2 rpg). IN THE TOP 20: Karmen Graham now stands 20th all-time among NKU women's basketball scorers with 1,050 career points. She needs 15 points to surpass Angel Donley to become NKU's 19th all-time leading scorer. THE GANG’S ALL HERE: Saturday's game against Rockhurst marked the first time this season that all 12 NKU players dented the scoring column. In the season opener against Midway, 11 of the 12 players scored in a 98-42 victory, with Karmen Graham missing the game due to injury. FAR FROM AVERAGE: The Norse are a perfect 11-0 when holding their opponents below their defensive average of 57.8 points. NKU has held its opponent below this average in each of its eight wins during the eight-game winning streak. CREAGER NEARS 1,000: NKU senior guard Karyn Creager enters Thursday with 952 career points. She averages 10.4 ppg and is shooting 88.9 percent from the free-throw line. CLOSING IN ON 900: NKU senior forward Brittany Winner, who played at Elon (N.C.) as a freshman, enters Thursday with 832 points in her collegiate career. The Minster, Ohio, native averages 10.9 ppg this season and leads NKU with 27 steals. ABOUT LEWIS: The Flyers are led by the top offensive 1-2 punch in the GLVC in seniors Mary Moskal and Darcee Schmidt. Schmidt leads the GLVC with 22.0 points and 7.2 rebounds on the year, while Moskal is averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. Lewis has done the job on two fronts, protecting the ball with a GLVC-best 1.20 assist-turnover ratio, and playing strong defense as the Flyers hold teams to a league-low 36.2 percent shooting from the field. NKU holds a 37-6 lead in the all-time series against Lewis.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST LEWIS: Earlier this season on Jan. 6 at Romeoville, Ill., Schmidt and Moskal combined for 55 points and 16 rebounds in a 75-64 win over NKU. Schmidt gunned in 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the field, and she added eight rebounds. Moskal, last season's GLVC Player of the Year, finished with 23 points and eight rebounds. Lewis shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first half to take a 43-33 lead at the break. The Flyers held a 12-point advantage midway through the second half, but NKU used a 14-4 run to pull within 59-57 with 8:31 remaining in the game. Lewis responded to the NKU run. Schmidt made two free throws to extend Lewis' lead to 61-57, and Jennifer Green followed with a 3-point field goal to give the Flyers a 64-57 advantage. Karyn Creager and Angela Healy each scored 13 points to lead NKU. Creager's school-record streak of made free throws ended at 34 straight when she missed the second of two attempts at the line in the second half. As a team, NKU was 18-for-26 at the line. Karmen Graham finished with 12 points. Katie Butler added 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench for NKU. Brittany Winner dished out a team-leading six assists for the Norse, and Cassie Brannen scored seven points off the bench. THE LAST TIME AGAINST WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE: On Jan. 4, Kari Score and Mackenzie Heise combined for 38 points to lead Wisconsin-Parkside to a 66-57 win over NKU at Kenosha, Wis. Score led Wisconsin-Parkside with 20 points, and Heise added 12 of her 18 points in the second half. Score finished 7-for-11 from the field, while Mackenzie was 8-for-12. The 18th-ranked Norse took a 29-27 halftime lead, but Wisconsin-Parkside countered during the final 20 minutes by shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 75 percent from 3-point range. Ashley Ferguson finished with 12 points as the Rangers knocked off NKU for the third straight year in DeSimone Gymnasium. Angela Healy added 15 points and eight rebounds for NKU, while teammate Brittany Winner scored 10 points, dished out four assists and had two steals. The Norse made just 34.8 percent of their shots from the field in the second half and finished at 40 percent for the game.
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