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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky University hits the road for two Great Lakes Valley Conference games this week, beginning with a Thursday contest against Indianapolis at 7:30 p.m. NKU (9-2 overall, 3-1 GLVC) will conclude the trip Saturday with a game at Saint Joseph’s at 4 p.m. The Norse are in a four-way tie for first place in the GLVC East going into Thursday’s game. ON THE ROAD AGAIN: NKU has not played a road game since Dec. 1. NKU is 3-0 away from Regents Hall this season, including 2-0 against GLVC teams. The Norse are 6-2 at home, with both losses coming against nationally ranked teams (Findlay and Drury) in the NCAA Division II poll. NKU STREAK ENDS: Drury halted NKU’s eight-game winning streak with a 69-67 victory in Regents Hall last Saturday. Prior to that setback, the Norse had not lost since Nov. 17, when Findlay posted a 66-53 win over NKU. CLOSE CALL: Drury’s win over NKU was decided at the buzzer, and not by a last-second shot. Instead, a charging call nullified the tying basket as time expired Saturday, and the Norse’s eight-game winning streak ended in controversial fashion. Tim Brown made a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining to give Drury a 69-67 lead, and the Panthers held on to defeat NKU when Billy Finnell’s apparent tying basket at the buzzer was disallowed due to a charging call. NKU gained a 67-66 lead with 20 seconds remaining when Scott Bibbins converted one of two free throws. Drury then worked the ball inside to Chris Ijames, who kicked the ball out to Brown on the left side for an open 3-pointer. Brown’s shot found the bottom of the net to give Drury a 69-67 lead. After a timeout, NKU put the basketball in Finnell’s hands and the junior guard drove the length of the court and made a driving layup over Collins Harris as the buzzer sounded. Finnell was called for an offensive foul, however, and the basket was waved off, giving Drury the victory. Harrison Morton and DeAaron Williams each scored 13 points to lead NKU. Anthony Teague added 11 points for the Norse, who were 11-for-17 from the free-throw line in the second half. TREY-RIFFIC: NKU continues to lead the GLVC in 3-pointers made with an average of 10 treys per game. The Norse also top the conference in 3-point shooting percentage at .428. ASSIST MAGIC: NKU junior guard David McFarland leads the GLVC in assists-to-turnover ratio at 7.00 (49 assists, seven turnovers), and that number ranks No. 2 nationally among NCAA Division II players. The former Boone County High School standout is also NKU’s defensive stopper and leads the team in minutes played at 25.9 mpg.
BALANCING ACT: NKU features four players who score in double figures, and three more who average at least 7.7 points per game. Harrison Morton (14.1 ppg), Dennis Gagai (12.6 ppg), Anthony Teague (12.4 ppg) and DeAaron Williams (11.0 ppg) are scoring in double figures for the Norse. STILL NO. 1: NKU senior center Travis Rasso continues to lead the GLVC in shooting from the field at .696. Rasso averages 7.7 ppg. BEZOLD NEARS 70 WINS: NKU head coach Dave Bezold is now 64-37 in four years. He figures to reach the 70-win plateau faster than any other coach in Norse history. Former NKU head coach Mike Beitzel reached 70 wins in the middle of his fifth season (117 games) and is currently the fastest to 70 victories with the Norse. ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS: The Greyhounds are 9-3 overall, 3-1 in the GLVC. Indianapolis suffered its first GLVC loss at Lewis, 66-53, last Saturday at Romeoville, Ill. DeAndre Brock leads Indianapolis in scoring at 17.7 ppg. Justin Barnard averages 10.6 ppg and 4.9 rebounds per game. Brock and Barnard each have made 23 shots from 3-point range this season. THE LAST TIME AGAINST INDIANAPOLIS: On Feb. 24, 2007, Kevin Schappell and Steven Wright combined for 29 points as NKU posted a 68-60 win over Indianapolis in Nicoson Hall. Schappell scored 15 points and Wright added 14 for the Norse. NKU jumped on Indianapolis early in the contest and held a 25-9 lead after Vincent Humphrey drained a 3-pointer with 4:35 left before halftime. The Norse settled for a 28-18 advantage at the break after holding Indianapolis to 26.7 percent shooting from the field. In the first meeting last season in Regents Hall, NKU held on for a 67-62 victory. The Norse have won five consecutive games against Indianapolis and own a 30-27 lead in the all-time series. THE LAST TIME AGAINST SAINT JOSEPH’S: On Feb. 22, 2007, Ronald Coleman scored a game-high 28 points and hit a pair of clinching free throws in the final seconds as Saint Joseph’s held off NKU, 69-65, in the Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse at Rensselaer, Ind. The Norse had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds of regulation, but Billy Finnell’s driving shot was off the mark. Coleman then hit a pair of free throws for the 69-65 margin. Travis Rasso came off the bench and recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead NKU. Mark Hawkins also sparked the Norse by draining a trio of 3-pointers and finishing with 10 points. Steven Wright and Harrison Morton each scored 11 for NKU, which shot 42.6 percent from the field. Wright also dished out a team-leading six assists. |
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