Nicole Chiodi scored 12 points Saturday

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Two months ago, Northern Kentucky University suffered a 50-47 loss at Saint Joseph’s and looked like anything but an NCAA Tournament team.

Since that dreary December evening in Rensselaer, Ind., however, fortunes have changed for NKU. The Norse are currently one of the hottest teams in the nation and playing themselves into a high seed in the upcoming NCAA Division II Tournament.

NKU rolled to its 14th consecutive victory with a 76-51 rout of Saint Joseph’s in Regents Hall on Saturday afternoon. The Norse placed 11 players in the scoring column, shot 50.8 percent from the field and forcefully avenged the early-season loss to the Pumas.

“I was hoping being the last home game of the year, and the fact that we got beat at Saint Joseph’s, that we’d be ready, but you never know,” NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. “I thought that our defensive intensity throughout the game was very good.”

“(The loss to Saint Joseph’s) was early in the season. We were very young and not very poised,” she added. “I think what’s happening with our team right now is that we have learned our system. The players know their roles and our talent is starting to show.”

NKU improved to 20-3 overall, 13-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse, ranked 24th nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, used a 20-4 run in the first half to turn a 6-4 deficit into a 24-10 lead with 7:17 left before intermission.

Karyn Creager sparked the run with a pair of 3-pointers. Brittany Winner, Nicole Chiodi and Cassie Brannen each added four points during the spurt. By halftime, NKU owned a 37-19 lead.

When the two teams met in December, Saint Joseph’s took a 29-27 lead at the break.

Karyn Creager drives against SJC

“I think the biggest difference is just how much we’ve developed as a team from December,” said NKU junior forward Karmen Graham, who finished with 11 points and four rebounds. “We’re so much more used to running our stuff and playing together as a team. I think that was the difference. We’re just much more comfortable.”

NKU led by as many as 33 points in the second half and cruised to the win. Katie Butler scored all 10 of her points in the second half as the Norse shot 58.6 percent from the field during the final 20 minutes.

Chiodi led NKU with 12 points and six rebounds. Winner added 10 points and three rebounds for the Norse, who finished with a 41-29 advantage on the glass.

“We were just being really aggressive and active on the boards,” Winner said.

Ashley Hughes led Saint Joseph’s (13-10, 6-9 GLVC) with 15 points. The Pumas - who have lost 13 straight times in Regents Hall - shot just 35.2 percent from the field and were 3-for-13 from 3-point range.

Brannen and Karen Brackman each scored seven points off the bench for NKU, which leads the GLVC East Division by one game over Lewis. The Norse also had just nine turnovers, which pleased Winstel.

“We had four (turnovers) in the first half, and then we were able to sub in a lot of players and were still able to take care of the ball against a very quick and very aggressive team,” said Winstel, who picked up her 492nd victory at NKU. “I just think that today was our day, and we played very well.

“I couldn’t be happier for them because they’re just a good bunch of kids. They work very hard. I’ve pushed them this year, and I’ve been tough on them. They’ve responded, so good for them.”

NKU, which reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2002-03 season, is ranked third in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll. The Norse will play a key road game at Bellarmine at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday in Louisville, Ky.

BOX SCORE