Travis Rasso shoots against Saint Joseph’s

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team will play at Bellarmine at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

NKU is 14-8 after dropping a 75-69 decision to No. 10 Saint Joseph’s on Saturday. The Norse are 9-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

NKU is in second place in the GLVC East Division standings. Bellarmine is 12-11 overall, 8-7 in the GLVC.

NEAR UPSET: Sullivan Sykes scored 10 of his 28 points in the game’s final 3:36 Saturday as Saint Joseph’s rallied past NKU. Saint Joseph’s trailed by five points (64-59) with 2:57 left, but the Pumas used a game-ending 16-5 run to avoid the upset.

•Sykes gave Saint Joseph’s a 66-64 lead with 1:26 left with a basket. He added four free throws in the final 39 seconds to seal the win.

•Rashad McSwine added 21 points for Saint Joseph’s, which won in Regents Hall for the second straight year. Sykes grabbed 10 rebounds for the Pumas, who were 19-for-23 from the free-throw line in the second half.

•NKU - which owns wins against nationally ranked opponents Findlay, Lynn (Fla.) and Grand Valley State this season - appeared on its way to another upset early in the second half. The Norse took a 44-37 lead with 14:42 remaining when Kevin Reinhardt hit a short jumper.

HAWKINS FROM LONG RANGE: NKU sophomore guard Mark Hawkins scored 15 points to lead the Norse against Saint Joseph’s. Hawkins has scored in double figures two straight games and has made seven 3-pointers in those two contests.

For the season, Hawkins is 31-for-75 from 3-point range and averages 5.6 points per game.

NKU’s Billy Finnell

GETTING THE POINT ACROSS: NKU freshman point guard Billy Finnell scored 13 points and was 6-for-8 from the field against Saint Joseph’s. Finnell averages 8.7 ppg and a team-leading 4.32 assists per game. He also tops the Norse with 25 steals.

STILL NO. 1: NKU’s Kevin Schappell enters the final two weeks of regular-season play still leading the GLVC in 3-point shooting at .506. Schappell is 39-for-77 from long range this season.

EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST BELLARMINE: On Jan. 28, Kevin Schappell and Mark Hawkins combined for 35 points as NKU defeated Bellarmine, 75-63, in Regents Hall. Schappell finished with a game-high 23 points, while Hawkins added 12 points.

Hawkins drained a trio of key 3-pointers to shift the momentum in the first half. Schappell used 6-for-7 shooting from the field during the opening 20 minutes to spark NKU.

With NKU trailing 12-2 early in the first half, Schappell and Hawkins were inserted into the game. They responded by combining for 24 points before halftime.

A YEAR AGO AT BELLARMINE: On Nov. 24, 2004, Bellarmine converted five free throws in the final 24 seconds to rally for a 64-60 win over NKU at Louisville, Ky.

Marcus Flynn made two free throws to give Bellarmine a 61-60 advantage with 24 seconds remaining. After an NKU timeout, Steve Purdon attempted a 3-pointer that hit the back of the rim and was chased down by Matt Miller. NKU’s Pat Cary was called for an intentional foul with 8.1 seconds remaining, and Miller made one of two free throws to extend Bellarmine’s lead to 62-60.

Matt Pait then sealed the win for Bellarmine by converting two free throws, and the Knights defeated NKU for the first time since Feb. 3, 1994.