Feb. 28, 2000

NKU FACES IPFW IN GLVC 1ST ROUND

Norse (24-5) play at 1 p.m. this Thursday (March 2)

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team enters the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament with a 24-5 record after losing at Southern Indiana, 75-60, on Saturday night. The Norse made just 26.7 percent of their shots from the field during the second half and lost the battle for second place in the GLVC to Southern Indiana.

The Norse are the No. 3 seed in the GLVC Tournament and will play No. 6 seed Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne (11-15) at 1 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, March 2, in Roberts Stadium at Evansville, Ind.

The NKU/IPFW winner will advance to the GLVC semifinals, which will be played at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 3, against the Southern Indiana/Bellarmine winner. The GLVC championship game is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 4.

Kentucky Wesleyan (24-2, 18-2 GLVC) is the GLVC Tournament’s No. 1 seed.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: NKU is No. 22 in this week’s Division II Bulletin national poll. The Norse were No. 19 last week.

GLVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: NKU is 2-2 all-time in the GLVC Tournament. Last season, the Norse defeated Indianapolis, 60-48, in the first round of the GLVC Tournament. NKU then lost to Kentucky Wesleyan, 111-70, in the GLVC semifinals.

Two years ago, NKU knocked off Indianapolis, 85-76, in the first round of the GLVC Tournament in Regents Hall. The Norse lost to Southern Indiana, 79-78, in the GLVC semifinals at Owensboro, Ky.

RECORD-SETTING GAME: Last season, Kentucky Wesleyan set a GLVC Tournament record for most points in a game with its 111-70 victory over NKU. The Panthers also set GLVC Tournament records for field goals in a game (43) and highest field goal percentage (.632). During that loss to Kentucky Wesleyan, NKU also managed to tie one GLVC record by connecting on 12 three-point shots. Bellarmine also made 12 three-pointers during the 1998 GLVC Tournament.

LAWHON CLOSES IN ON 1,000 CAREER POINTS: Junior guard Brian Lawhon needs just four points to join the NKU 1,000-point club. Entering the GLVC Tournament, Lawhon has scored 996 career points. Earlier this season, NKU junior guard Craig Conley joined the Norse’s 1,000-point club.

WINNING TRACK: NKU, which enters the GLVC Tournament coming off a loss at Southern Indiana in the regular-season finale, has not endured a two-game losing streak all season. Each time NKU has lost, it has rebounded to win at least its next two games.

The Norse’s longest winning streak this season was nine consecutive games.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST IPFW: On Feb. 19 in Regents Hall, senior forward Scott Marston scored 21 points as NKU rallied to defeat IPFW, 68-63.

NKU rallied from a seven-point deficit (47-40) in the second half to knock off IPFW. Marston, playing in his final home game for NKU, made five three-point shots to spark the Norse. Junior forward Adam Norwell added 11 points for NKU, which capped a perfect season (14-0) in Regents Hall with the come-from-behind victory against IPFW.

In the first meeting of the season at Fort Wayne, Ind., Craig Conley came off the bench and scored 21 points to lead NKU to a 92-74 win over IPFW. Junior forward Billy Brewster added 16 points and seven rebounds for NKU.

THE STREAK AGAINST IPFW: NKU has won 11 consecutive games against IPFW, and the Norse have not lost to the Mastodons since the 1994-95 season. IPFW’s last win against NKU came on Jan. 12, 1995, when the Mastodons held off the Norse, 84-75, at the Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne, Ind.

NCAA II TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS TO BE ANNOUNCED MARCH 5: Pairings for the NCAA Division II men's basketball Tournament will be announced at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 5. Six teams from each of the nation’s eight regions will receive berths to the 48-team field.

NKU is seeking to qualify for the NCAA Division II Tournament for the fifth time in the past six years. The Norse have been to the NCAA Tournament a total of five times (1978, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998) in the program’s 29-year history.