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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky University begins the regular season Friday night by playing host to the 25th annual John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic in Regents Hall. NKU, which posted a 17-11 record last season, faces Ferris State at 7:45 p.m. Friday. The Norse will meet Wayne (Mich.) State at 7:45 p.m. Saturday in the finale of the two-day event. Both NKU games will be broadcast live on WIOK (107.5 FM) and can also be heard on the Internet at www.nku.edu/~athletics. Ferris State posted an 18-13 record last season and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Bulldogs are picked second in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division preseason poll. Wayne State, also a member of the GLIAC, finished 11-14 last season and welcomes in a group of talented newcomers. The Warriors will meet Christian Brothers at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the opener of the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. TUNING UP FOR THE SEASON: NKU lost exhibition games to NCAA Division I opponents Cincinnati (87-41) and Xavier (58-44) in the preseason. In their last exhibition, the Norse built a nine-point lead over Xavier in the first half before losing by 14. THE BIG MAN INSIDE: NKU senior center James Cripe scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Xavier. Cripe, the first 7-footer in Norse history, is a transfer from Dayton. DAVID AND GOLIATH: NKU freshman David Jefferson made a big-time impression against defending Atlantic 10 Conference champion Xavier with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field. The 6-foot-7 Jefferson also grabbed five rebounds against the Musketeers. THE WRIGHT STUFF: NKU senior guard Steven Wright finished with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists against Xavier. A transfer from Bowling Green State, Wright also blocked a shot and added a steal in the Xavier game. Last season at Bowling Green, Wright averaged 11.4 points per game. A graduate of Colonel White High School in Dayton, Ohio, Wright was named the Dayton Area Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. ABOUT FERRIS STATE: The Bulldogs return three starters and six letterwinners from last season. The top player for Ferris State is senior forward Terrance Shaw, who was named All-GLIAC second team last season. The 6-5 Shaw averaged 13.0 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per outing in 2005-06.
Senior forward Michael Daniels also returns after averaging 8.2 ppg and 4.4 rebounds. Guards Jessie York (8.7 ppg) and Julius Vines (4.5 ppg) also return for the Bulldogs. THE LAST TIME AGAINST FERRIS STATE: On Dec. 28, 2002, at Hillsdale, Mich., NKU posted an 85-65 win over Ferris State. Quentin Smith came off the bench and scored 17 points for NKU, which improved to 10-0 with that victory. Brenden Stowers also came off the bench and added 14 points for the Norse. NKU leads the all-time series with Ferris State, 4-0. ABOUT WAYNE STATE: The Warriors welcome back three starters, including All-GLIAC performer Kris Krzyminski, who was 10th in the GLIAC in scoring last season at 14.1 points per game. He was also second in the conference with 5.6 assists per outing, fifth in free-throw percentage (.812), and first in minutes played per game (38.5). Transfer Jason Saddler is a talented recruit who will make an immediate impact for Wayne State. Saddler scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds during an exhibition game against Division I foe Eastern Michigan on Nov. 3. NKU owns a 2-0 lead in the all-time series with Wayne State. In their last meeting, the Norse pulled out a 91-85 overtime win over the Warriors in Detroit, Mich., on Dec. 22, 2003. LAST YEAR’S CLASSIC: On Nov. 18, 2005, a huge second-half run carried NKU to an 81-71 upset over No. 6 Findlay in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. The Norse used the scoring of Vincent Humphrey and Kevin Schappell to fuel the rally, which featured a 21-3 run that turned a 52-42 deficit into a 63-55 advantage with 6:34 remaining. Humphrey netted 13 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. Schappell scored all 14 of his points in the second half, including a pair clutch 3-pointers during the Norse’s decisive run. He also grabbed five rebounds and made all four free throws he attempted. Point guard Billy Finnell scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half to key the NKU comeback. He drilled a pair of 3-point shots and finished with five assists.
Findlay, ranked No. 6 in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll, built a 48-37 lead on a 3-pointer by Tyler Evans with 14:18 remaining in the game. Humphrey, however, was fouled while attempting a trey and made all three free throws to bring NKU within eight points (48-40). With Findlay holding a 52-42 lead, NKU started its run. Schappell drained a 3-pointer off an assist from Finnell to cut the lead to 52-45. Finnell made a jumper to bring the Norse within 52-47, and Humphrey later hit a pair of free throws to make it 52-49 with 11:49 left. A 3-pointer by Josh Bostic pushed Findlay’s lead back to 55-49, but Finnell countered by hitting a long 3-pointer to make it 55-52. After Findlay’s Frank Phillips missed a short jumper, Finnell was fouled going for the rebound. He hit both free throws to bring the Norse within 55-54. Moments later, Schappell chased down an offensive rebound after a Humphrey miss and threw it out to Finnell. The freshman point guard drew two defenders and found Schappell for an open 3-pointer in the right corner. Schappell drained the shot to give NKU a 57-55 advantage with 9:18 remaining, and the Norse would not trail again. Schappell capped the spurt by making a jumper with 3:37 left to give NKU a 69-57 lead. In the finale of the event the following night, Finnell came off the bench and dished out a career-best eight assists, scored nine points and added three steals as NKU defeated Saginaw Valley State, 74-66. Finnell was named NKU’s most outstanding player of the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. The NKU bench poured in 40 points and added nine assists to spark the victory over Saginaw Valley State. Schappell added 11 points off the bench for NKU and was named the recipient of the John L. Griffin Hustle Award for his play during the two-day event. Mark Hawkins added nine points and drained a key 3-pointer in the second half that gave the Norse a 63-52 lead. John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic Past Results 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
(round-robin format) 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
(round-robin format) 2005
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