Jan. 22, 2001

NORSE TRAVEL TO QUINCY, UMSL THIS WEEK

NKU (16-2) plays at Quincy this Thursday night

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team is 16-2 after defeating Kentucky Wesleyan College, 106-86, Saturday afternoon in Regents Hall. The Norse are 7-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and tied with Kentucky Wesleyan for second place in the GLVC standings. Southern Indiana is unbeaten (15-0, 9-0 GLVC) and owns a two-game lead in the conference standings. NKU is ranked No. 3 nationally in the latest Division II poll. The Norse will play a pair of GLVC road games this week, starting with an 8:30 p.m. Thursday contest at Quincy (Ill.) University (7-8, 3-6 GLVC). NKU will conclude the two-game road trip at 4:15 p.m. Saturday at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (7-8, 3-6 GLVC). Todd Clark scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead NKU past Kentucky Wesleyan. Clark scored 11 points in the first half as NKU built a 51-29 lead. The Norse made 58.6 percent of their shots from the field in the first half and limited Kentucky Wesleyan to 38.5 percent shooting from the field. Craig Sanders scored 17 of his 20 points after halftime, including a trio of three-pointers in the opening four minutes of the second half. NKU built a 77-48 lead midway through the second half and coasted to the win. NKU HALTS PANTHER STREAK: Prior to Saturday, NKU had lost five consecutive games against Kentucky Wesleyan. The 20-point margin of victory was the Norse’s largest ever against the Panthers. CLARK EARNS GLVC HONOR: NKU’s Todd Clark has been named GLVC Player of the Week. Clark averaged 23.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and shot 76 percent from the field last week as the Norse posted wins against Bellarmine and Kentucky Wesleyan. Clark scored 26 points and made 10 of 11 shots from the field during a 100-69 win over Bellarmine. He came back with 21 points and seven rebounds Saturday as the Norse defeated Kentucky Wesleyan, 106-86. NORWELL LEADS THE GLVC: NKU senior forward/center Adam Norwell continues to lead the GLVC in field goal percentage at .693. Norwell averages 9.7 ppg and 5.6 rebounds per game. BOMBS AWAY: NKU leads the GLVC in three-pointers made per game (8.94). The Norse rank No. 2 in three-point shooting percentage at .406. STOWERS STEPS UP: NKU sophomore guard Brenden Stowers averaged 15.5 ppg in the two wins against Bellarmine and Kentucky Wesleyan last week. Stowers also made all 12 of his free throw attempts against Kentucky Wesleyan. ABOUT QUINCY: The Hawks are 7-8 after defeating Truman State, 59-47, this past Monday night in a non-conference game. Quincy is 3-6 in the GLVC. The Hawks are led by 6-9 sophomore center Brian McNeil, who averages 17.5 ppg and 8.9 rebounds per contest. McNeil is shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 68.2 percent from three free throw line. Junior guard Tony Certa averages 11.8 ppg and leads Quincy in three-pointers made with 38. Senior guard Lampton Johnson averages 12.1 ppg, and freshman guard Jamal Thompson is scoring 10.0 ppg. THE LAST TIME AGAINST QUINCY: On Feb. 12, 2000, Brian Lawhon scored 14 points as NKU defeated Quincy, 75-62, at Quincy, Ill. In their first meeting of last season at Highland Heights, Ky., NKU posted a 66-54 win over the Hawks. Lawhon also led the Norse in scoring in that game with 17 points. NKU leads the all-time series with Quincy, 9-1. The Norse own a 3-1 record in Quincy's Pepsi Arena. The loss came during the 1998-99 season, when Quincy pulled out an 86-83 win in overtime. THE SERIES WITH MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS: NKU owns a 4-3 lead in the all-time series with Missouri-St. Louis. The two teams split last season, with the home team winning each game. In their first meeting last season, Craig Conley scored 20 points as NKU defeated Missouri-St. Louis, 92-61, in Regents Hall. Missouri-St. Louis took the rematch later in the year by a 65-57 score at St. Louis, Mo. NKU has lost its last two games against Missouri-St. Louis at the Mark Twain Building. Two years ago, The Rivermen posted a 75-67 victory against the Norse in the regular-season finale.