Feb. 5, 2001

NKU TO HOST SJC, IPFW THIS WEEK

Norse now 17-2 after win at Lewis

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team is 17-2 after defeating Lewis University, 72-63, last Saturday at Romeoville, Ill. NKU is 11-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and in sole possession of first place. The Norse, ranked No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region poll, will play host to Saint Joseph’s College at 5:30 p.m. Thursday night. NKU will also play host to Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne at 2 p.m. Saturday. Michelle Cottrell scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds Saturday to lead NKU past Lewis. Cottrell now has scored 1,516 career points, which ranks No. 3 in Norse history. NKU held a 62-58 lead with just more then two minutes remaining in the game Saturday when Jessica Jenson hit a three-pointer to give the Norse a 65-58 advantage. Jenson later hit another three-pointer to give NKU a 68-60 lead, and the Norse held on to win their third straight game. Heather Livingstone added 14 points and a career-high 10 assists on Saturday. REGENTS HALL STREAK: NKU enters Thursday night with a 21-game winning streak in Regents Hall. The Norse have not lost in Regents Hall since Jan. 8, 2000, when Bellarmine posted a 76-72 victory over NKU. COTTRELL MOVES UP REBOUNDING LIST: NKU junior forward Michelle Cottrell moved into fifth place on the NKU all-time rebounding list with 771 rebounds during last week's road trip. TUCHFARBER SEVENTH IN ALL-TIME SCORING: NKU senior guard Michele Tuchfarber has scored 1,419 career points, which ranks No. 7 in Norse women's basketball history. Tuchfarber is already NKU’s all-time career leader in three-point field goals with 149. POLOSKY ON TARGET: NKU sophomore forward Kristin Polosky is shooting 61.1 percent from three-point range. Polosky has made 11 of 18 three-point attempts this season. IN THE GLVC: NKU is now 56-5 in its last 61 games against GLVC opponents. GLVC WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT TO START ON FEB. 28: The NKU women’s basketball team will play its first GLVC Tournament game on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Ind. The times and seeding for the GLVC Tournament will be announced on Feb. 25. NKU is the two-time defending champion of the GLVC Tournament. ABOUT SAINT JOSEPH’S: The Pumas are 1-18 after dropping a 66-63 decision to Southern Illinois at Edwardsville on Saturday. Saint Joseph’s is 1-12 in the GLVC and in last place. The Pumas features freshman forward Heather Allen, who averages 17.0 points per game. Allen also averages 8.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Whitney Avery averages 9.9 ppg. THE LAST TIME AGAINST SAINT JOSEPH’S: Earlier this season on Jan. 13 at Rensselaer, Ind., Michelle Cottrell scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as NKU defeated Saint Joseph’s, 82-61. Cottrell scored 14 points during the first half as NKU jumped out to a 45-20 lead. The Norse held Saint Joseph’s to 18.5 percent shooting from the field during the first half and never trailed. Bridget Flanagan had 11 points for the Norse. Kristin Polosky scored 10 points and had five rebounds for NKU, and Heather Livingstone added 10 points. STREAK AGAINST SAINT JOSEPH’S: The Norse now own 13 consecutive victories over Saint Joseph’s during the past seven years. NKU has not lost to Saint Joseph’s since the 1993-94 season, when the Pumas posted a 72-67 victory against the Norse at Rensselaer, Ind. THE LAST TIME AGAINST IPFW: On Jan. 11 at Fort Wayne, Ind., Michelle Cottrell scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead NKU to an 80-65 victory over IPFW at the Gates Sports Center. Amy Mobley added 16 points and seven rebounds for NKU, which jumped out to an 11-0 lead and coasted past IPFW. Bridget Flanagan added 14 points for NKU, and Julie Cowens scored 14 points and had eight rebounds for the Norse. NKU has now beaten IPFW nine consecutive times. The Norse have not lost to IPFW since the 1996-97 season, when the Mastodons posted an 83-74 victory over NKU at Fort Wayne, Ind.