Feb. 8, 2000
NORSE HIT ROAD FOR UMSL ON THURSDAY
NKU (17-2) faces talented UMSL on the road
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team improved to 17-2 this past Saturday with an 81-76 victory over Lewis University in Regents Hall. NKU is now 12-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and in first place in the league standings. The Norse are also ranked No. 4 nationally in the WBCA Division II poll, and No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region ratings.
NKU will travel to St. Louis, Mo., to play the University of Missouri-St. Louis at 6:30 p.m. this Thursday night, and the Norse will complete the two-game road trip with a 2 p.m. contest at Quincy University on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore forward Michelle Cottrell scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead NKU past Lewis. The Norse had to overcome a 40-point performance by Lewis’ Carey Jewell on Saturday. Jewell tied a GLVC record by making nine three-pointers in that game.
Cottrell leads NKU in scoring at 17.8 points per game, and she is No. 1 in the GLVC in rebounding at 9.8 rebounds per contest. Cottrell has made 54 percent of her shots from the field, and she also has 36 steals. Cottrell enters this weekend's games with 936 career points, and she is on pace to become NKU’s all-time career scoring leader. Peggy Vincent is currently NKU’s all-time leading scorer with 1,883 points.
Junior guard Heather Livingstone averages 12.9 ppg and leads the nation in three-point shooting at 56.6 percent. She leads NKU in assists (51) and three-pointers made (43).
Freshman guard/forward Bridget Flanagan ranks No. 2 in the GLVC in three-point shooting at 56.5 percent, and she averages 5.6 ppg. Flanagan also has nine blocked shots and 15 steals.
Junior guard Michele Tuchfarber averages 12.9 ppg, and she has made 20 of 52 three-point attempts. Freshman forward Amy Mobley averages 7.4 ppg and 6.8 rebounds per contest. Mobley leads NKU with 28 blocked shots, and she ranks No. 4 in the GLVC in that category at 1.47 bpg.
LIVINGSTONE LEADS NATION: NKU junior guard Heather Livingstone ranks No. 1 nationally in the latest NCAA Division II statistics in three-point shooting at 56.6 percent. She is trying to become the second consecutive NKU player to lead the nation in three-point shooting. Last season, the Norse’s Michele Tuchfarber led the nation in three-point shooting at 52.9 percent.
NKU freshman Bridget Flanagan is shooting 56.5 percent from three-point range, but she has not made enough attempts to qualify for the national rankings.
BEST IN THE GLVC: NKU is winning its games by an average margin of 17.9 points per game, easily the best scoring margin in the GLVC.
ABOUT MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS: The Riverwomen are 12-7 overall after posting a 79-59 win at Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday. Missouri-St. Louis is 9-4 in the GLVC and in second place.
UMSL is led by senior forward Tawanda Daniel, who averages 19.8 ppg. Daniel had 29 points and 20 rebounds Saturday to lead UMSL past Kentucky Wesleyan.
Senior guard Amanda Wentzel averages 13.8 ppg, and she has made 44 of 97 three-point attempts this season. Senior guard Sara Mauck averages 10.8 ppg, and she has connected on 18 of 36 three-point attempts.
THE FIRST TIME AGAINST UMSL: On Jan. 15, Michele Tuchfarber scored 21 points as NKU defeated UMSL, 89-68, in Regents Hall. Tuchfarber also had four rebounds and five assists in that game. Michelle Cottrell added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Norse, who made 54.5 percent of their shots from the field.
Junior forward Julie Cowens and junior guard Heather Livingstone both added 12 points for NKU, and freshman forward/guard Bridget Flanagan scored 11 points. Tawanda Daniel led UMSL with a game-high 25 points.