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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The most difficult road trip of the season looms for Northern Kentucky University this week, beginning with an 8:30 p.m. Thursday game at Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro, Ky. NKU, which enters Thursday riding a four-game winning streak, concludes the trip Saturday with a game against No. 10 Southern Indiana at 4:15 p.m. Both games can be heard live on WIOK (107.5 FM) and on the Internet at www.nku.edu/~athletics. NKU improved to 11-4 last Saturday by knocking off Missouri-St. Louis, 68-53, in Regents Hall. The Norse are 4-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and in a four-way tie for first place in the GLVC East. BIG "D" IN THE SECOND HALF: NKU’s defense held Missouri-St. Louis to two points during the first seven minutes of the second half and allowed the Norse to build a 17-point lead. NKU held Missouri-St. Louis leading scorer Brett Ledbetter to six points - all in the first half. IN THE GLVC: NKU’s Steven Wright ranks ninth in scoring at 16.0 points per game, and he is sixth in steals with an average of 1.67. The Norse’s Kevin Schappell is second in free-throw percentage (.878) and fourth in 3-point shooting (.510). NKU’s Mark Hawkins is No. 1 in the GLVC in 3-point shooting (.541). NORSE 3-FOR-ALL: NKU continues to lead the GLVC in 3-pointers made with an average of 9.0 per contest. WRIGHT APPROACHES 1,000 POINTS: Steven Wright, who played three years at Bowling Green State before transferring to NKU this season, enters the week with 977 career points on the hardwood. The 6-foot-3 guard scored 737 career points with Bowling Green and has 240 this season at NKU. ABOUT KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: The Panthers are 8-6 overall, 1-6 in the GLVC. Kentucky Wesleyan features the GLVC leading scorer and top rebounder in junior post player Jeff Fahnbulleh, who averages 18.2 ppg and 11.5 rebounds per contest. Fahnbulleh is also shooting 57.3 percent from the field. Rodney Edgerson is scoring 14.8 ppg and ranks 14th in the GLVC in scoring. Point guard Donte Williams is eighth in the GLVC in assists at 4.07 per game. Kentucky Wesleyan is 8-1 at home this season in the Owensboro Sportscenter, and the Panthers own a victory against then-No. 24 Drury in the Owensboro Sportscenter. THE LAST TIME AGAINST KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: On Feb. 18, 2006, Billy Finnell converted a driving layup with two seconds left in the game to give NKU a 59-57 win over Kentucky Wesleyan in the Owensboro Sportscenter. Kentucky Wesleyan had tied the score at 57-all when Alvin Lewis made the first of two free throws with 10 seconds remaining. After Lewis missed the second attempt, Finnell dribbled the length of the floor, drove between two Panther defenders and made a contested layup with two seconds remaining.
Kentucky Wesleyan attempted a long pass that was intercepted on the ensuing possession, and NKU won for the second straight season in the Owensboro Sportscenter. Mark Hawkins led NKU with 17 points. He also made a trio of 3-point shots in the second half against the zone defense employed by Kentucky Wesleyan. Finnell finished with nine points as NKU clinched a berth in the GLVC Tournament. Vincent Humphrey added eight points for NKU, which swept the season series with Kentucky Wesleyan for the second straight year. TOUGH VENUE FOR ALL VISITORS: On Saturday, NKU will meet Southern Indiana in the PAC Arena, and the Screaming Eagles rarely lose to any visiting team at home. NKU has lost eight straight games in the PAC Arena against Southern Indiana. The Norse have not defeated the Screaming Eagles on the road since a 99-87 victory in the 1996 NCAA II Great Lakes Region championship game. NKU has not won a regular-season game in the PAC Arena since the 1994-95 season, when the Norse rallied for a 96-90 victory over then-No. 1 Southern Indiana. THE LAST TIME AGAINST SOUTHERN INDIANA: On Jan. 7, 2006, Southern Indiana posted a 75-56 win over NKU in Regents Hall. Chris Thompson scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Southern Indiana, while David Bryant added 12 points. Southern Indiana scored the first nine points of the game and held a 37-26 halftime lead. The Screaming Eagles opened the second half with a 10-0 run that was highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers made by Geoff Van Winkle. His second trey gave Southern Indiana a 47-26 advantage, and the Screaming Eagles would later extend that lead to as many as 26 points. Vincent Humphrey scored a team-leading 12 points for NKU. Southern Indiana shot 53.3 percent from the field and forced 18 NKU turnovers to post the GLVC road victory.
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