NKU’s Cassie Brannen

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will look for its 16th consecutive victory at 2:15 p.m. Saturday when the Norse play a road game at Kentucky Wesleyan.

NKU is 21-3 overall after posting an 82-70 road win at Bellarmine on Tuesday. The Norse extended their winning streak to 15 straight games and improved to 14-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Kentucky Wesleyan is 13-10 overall, and the Panthers will meet Bellarmine on Thursday night.

FANTASTIC FROSH: Cassie Brannen scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead NKU past Bellarmine. The freshman forward also finished 6-for-8 from the field and had three assists.

Brannen averages 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. She is shooting 53.6 percent from the field and ranks No. 5 in the GLVC in blocked shots at 1.00 bpg.

KNIGHTS HALL JINX SNAPPED: NKU snapped a five-game losing streak in Knights Hall with the victory over Bellarmine. Before Tuesday, the Norse’s last victory in Louisville, Ky., came on Jan. 30, 1999.

WINNER HAUNTS KNIGHTS AGAIN: NKU junior forward Brittany Winner added a career-best 16 points, four rebounds and three assists against Bellarmine. Winner scored all 16 of her points in the second half and was 7-for-8 from the field as the Norse cruised to the victory.

Bellarmine pulled within six points with 11:55 left in the game, but Winner responded with a conventional three-point play to give NKU a 55-46 advantage. Winner - who drained the winning shot against the Knights in a 66-64 victory on Jan. 28 in Regents Hall - later made consecutive baskets to push the Norse lead to 61-49, and Bellarmine never threatened the remainder of the game.

STREAKING ALONG: The 15-game winning streak is NKU’s longest since the 1999-2000 season, when the Norse ran off 24 consecutive victories en route to the NCAA Division II national championship.

NORSE DEPTH: In the last three games, NKU’s bench has produced 95 points and 42 rebounds.

Karmen Graham scores against KWC

EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST KWC: On Jan. 5, NKU remained perfect at home in the all-time series against Kentucky Wesleyan with a 62-47 win over the Panthers. Karmen Graham scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half as the Norse improved to 22-0 all-time in Regents Hall against Kentucky Wesleyan. Angela Healy added 16 points and seven rebounds for NKU.

Kentucky Wesleyan - playing without its two leading scorers due to injuries - jumped out to a 14-9 lead in first 11 minutes of the game as Holly Mills scored six points. NKU responded with an 8-0 run to take a 17-14 lead on a pair of free throws by Karen Brackman.

The Norse settled for a 21-18 halftime advantage by holding Kentucky Wesleyan to 28 percent shooting from the field.

NKU blistered the nets at a 63.2 percent clip from the field in the second half and coasted to the win. Graham was 9-for-12 from the free-throw line and added six rebounds. She also had two blocked shots and was 6-for-9 from the field.

Cassie Brannen came off the bench and blocked three shots for NKU. Karyn Creager added five points and three assists for the Norse.

LAST SEASON IN OWENSBORO: On Nov. 26, 2004, Lauren Stewart scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds as Kentucky Wesleyan defeated NKU, 63-48, in the Owensboro Sportscenter. Mary Czarnecki added 12 points and six rebounds for the Panthers. NKU had defeated Kentucky Wesleyan 13 consecutive times before that setback.

It marked Kentucky Wesleyan’s first victory against NKU since Jan. 31, 1998, when the Panthers pulled out a 74-72 overtime win against the Norse in Owensboro, Ky.

The Kentucky Wesleyan defense held NKU to 27.1 percent shooting for the game. Brittany Winner and Karyn Creager both scored 11 points to lead the Norse. Kentucky Wesleyan shot 95.2 percent from the free-throw line for the game to coast to the victory.

NKU MOVES UP TO NO. 2 IN REGION: NKU moved up a spot to second in the latest NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region ratings. Drury is No. 1, followed by NKU, Grand Valley State, Michigan Tech and Lake Superior State.

The GLVC and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament winners will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional. Six teams will also receive at-large berths to complete the Great Lakes Region field of eight.