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KENOSHA, Wis. - Basketball purists are quick to point out that free-throw shooting is a lost art in today's game. Just don't direct that kind of talk at Northern Kentucky University's Karyn Creager, who shattered her own school record for consecutive made free throws during a 66-57 loss at Wisconsin-Parkside on Thursday night. Creager entered the game having knocked down 26 straight freebies, one shy of the NKU record she set two years ago. The senior guard wasted no time in eclipsing her own mark by making two free throws early in the first half. The Leipsic, Ohio, native finished with 16 points and extended her streak to 33 by going 7-for-7 at the line, but NKU (7-4 overall, 1-3 Great Lakes Valley Conference) could not overcome 62.5 percent shooting from the field by Wisconsin-Parkside. The Rangers shot 25-for-40 from the field and used a 12-1 run in the second half to turn a 37-35 deficit into a 47-38 lead with 10:23 remaining in the game. "We just did not defend at critical times. Our defense was down, and their aggressiveness was up," NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. "We have put so much pressure on our defense, but our defense is average at best, and I hate to say that. "We have to compete at a higher level for 40 minutes. I know our players are frustrated, and I'm frustrated. Wisconsin-Parkside was getting layups on screen-and-rolls, and we work on defending it all the time." Kari Score and Mackenzie Heise combined for 38 points to lead Wisconsin-Parkside. Score led Wisconsin-Parkside (10-3 overall, 3-2 Great Lakes Valley Conference) 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. "Those two players really hurt us," Winstel said. "They went to war and took the ball to us." 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. Katie Butler scored seven points for NKU, and Karmen Graham added four points. Graham needs 14 points to join the NKU 1,000-point club. NKU concludes its two-game GLVC road trip Saturday at Lewis. The Flyers own an 11-2 record and lead the GLVC East with a 4-1 mark after defeating Bellarmine on Thursday. "We have to wake up fast, or it is going to be a long second half of the season," Winstel said.
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