Katie Butler drained two key 3-pointers

ST. LOUIS - Karmen Graham scored 23 points and made four free throws in the final 36 seconds of the game Thursday as the Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team rallied for a 66-57 win over Missouri-St. Louis in the Mark Twain Building.

Missouri-St. Louis held a 52-50 lead with 2:05 left in the game after Jennifer Martin’s inside basket, but Katie Butler countered by draining a 3-pointer to give NKU a 53-52 advantage with 1:50 remaining. Graham was fouled trying to get position as Butler’s 3-pointer was launched, and she added two free throws to extend the Norse lead to 55-52.

Butler gave NKU a 58-52 lead with a minute left on the clock when she hit her second 3-pointer of the game. The Norse sealed the victory by making eight free throws in the final 46 seconds, with Graham converting four straight from the line.

“We were struggling a bit on offense late in the game, and we moved Katie in there, and she hits a big 3-pointer while (Graham) gets fouled,” NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. “We went from one point down to being up four, and that was a huge shot Katie made.”

Graham had a key steal with 27 seconds left and NKU holding a 62-57 lead. Her two free throws gave the Norse a 64-57 advantage.

Graham was 13-for-14 from the free-throw line and extended her streak of scoring in double figures to eight consecutive games. The 6-foor-1 junior entered Thursday as the GLVC’s leading scorer at 15.3 points per game.

“I thought we were able to contain them defensively at the end, they were forced to foul us, and we stepped to the line and made our free throws,” Graham said. “We rely on our defense to keep us in the game, and it made the difference.”

Brittany Winner added 13 points and seven rebounds for NKU, which improved to 11-3 overall, 5-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Karyn Creager scored 11 points and had three assists as the Norse won their fifth straight game.

NKU upped its lead in the all-time series with Missouri-St. Louis to 15-2. A year ago, the Norse swept the season series with the Riverwomen.

Butler finished with six points, two rebounds and two steals. Graham said Butler’s two 3-pointers in the final 1:50 of the game were the difference.

“Katie Butler really stepped up and hit those big shots, and it turned the game around for us,” Graham said.

Martin led Missouri-St. Louis (8-5 overall, 2-4 GLVC) with 13 points and six rebounds. The Riverwomen finished with a 37-28 rebounding advantage, including 14 offensive boards.

NKU held Missouri-St. Louis to 17.4 percent shooting from the field in the first half, but the Norse made just 35.7 percent of their own shots and settled for a 24-19 halftime lead.

The Norse conclude the road trip Saturday with a 2 p.m. game at Missouri-Rolla. The Lady Miners posted a 74-72 win over Bellarmine on Thursday night.

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