Angela Healy

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The team that could not win a game in November is just one victory away from going unbeaten in January.

Northern Kentucky University, which started the season 0-5, extended its win streak to eight Thursday night with a 71-61 victory over Southern Illinois at Edwardsville in the Vadalabene Center. The Norse, who were 0-4 in November, are unbeaten (7-0) in January.

Karyn Creager scored a game-high 21 points for NKU, which improved to 12-7 overall, 9-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Connie Myers collected a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Norse, who moved into a first-place tie after Quincy lost at home to Bellarmine on Thursday.

“This is a huge road win for us, because SIUE was playing very well going into this game,” NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. “Everybody contributed in this win, and we did a good job defending their shooters.”

SIUE (10-10 overall, 5-6 GLVC) employed a 2-2-1 zone defense much of the first half in an attempt to contain the NKU inside attack. Myers, however, scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Norse took a 30-25 halftime lead.

NKU started quickly in the second half and used a 16-6 run to build a 46-31 lead with 14:46 remaining in the game. Creager keyed the Norse spurt by hitting a pair of three-pointers, and Karmen Graham also connected on a three-point shot during the run.

“We got off to a great start in the second half, and those were big three-pointers that Karyn Creager made,” Winstel said.

A late SIUE rally brought the Cougars within 57-50 with 3:48 left, but Angela Healy drained a clutch three-point shot with 3:02 remaining to give NKU a 60-50 lead. Healy, a freshman center, finished with 11 points off the bench. Healy made five of the six shots she attempted from the field and added two steals.

Myers added five assists for NKU, and she has now scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games. The Norse dished out a total of 22 assists as a team.

Elizabeth Burrows had five points, five rebounds and four assists for NKU, which will attempt to close out a perfect month Saturday when it faces Quincy (12-7 overall, 9-3 GLVC) on the road. That game will be a battle for first place in the GLVC standings.

NKU is ranked eighth in the latest NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll. The top eight teams in that poll will qualify for the NCAA Tournament in March.

Brittany Winner added nine points for NKU, which owns an 18-7 lead in the all-time series with SIUE. Alisa Carrillo led the Cougars (10-10 overall, 5-6 GLVC) with 18 points.