Brittany Winner looks to pass

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The way Northern Kentucky University head coach Nancy Winstel saw it, Brittany Winner had no choice but to make the big shot in the closing seconds Saturday night against Bellarmine.

“Since Brittany let her (player) hit the tying 3-pointer, she had better hit the winning shot,” Winstel joked.

Winner did just that - and plenty more - as NKU celebrated its 2006 Homecoming with a last-second victory.

Winner drained an 18-foot jumper with 13 seconds remaining in the game to give NKU a 66-64 victory over Bellarmine. Winner, a junior forward, finished with 13 points as NKU won its 10th consecutive game and improved to 16-3 overall, 9-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

“It (the shot) wasn’t drawn up that way, but I was happy it went in,” said Winner. “We ran our offense, and I went up for the shot. I’m just glad we were able to get this win, and it was against a very good team.”

Winner scored six points in the final two minutes of the game as the Norse rallied for the victory. Bellarmine (9-10, 5-6 GLVC) led by as many as seven points in the second half and still owned a 61-59 advantage with three minutes left, but Winner took over.

Her jumper with 2:02 left tied the score at 61-all. With 1:26 remaining, Winner drained another jumper from 17 feet to give NKU a 63-61 lead. After Karmen Graham made one of two free throws with 42 seconds on the clock to extend the Norse advantage to 64-61, Angela Smith buried a 3-pointer from the left side to tie the score at 64-all.

That set the stage for Winner, who snapped the deadlock with a jumper from out front. Bellarmine had one final attempt to tie or win the game, but Denasha Mondy’s short jumper was off the mark.

“Bellarmine is one of those rivalries, and it doesn’t matter who has a better record when we play. You know that each team is going to bring it,” said Winner, who also added five rebounds in 36 minutes of action. “It was going to be a barn-burner just like you saw here today. It’s going to be a close game every time.”

Karyn Creager shoots in the second half

Karyn Creager led NKU with 14 points, while Karmen Graham added 13 points. Angela Healy recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The 6-foot-1 sophomore center also blocked three shots for the Norse, who held Bellarmine to 38.5 percent shooting from the field.

Norse freshman Cassie Brannen also collected a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The NKU attack featured five players in double figures.

“We always try to have a balanced attack. We don’t look to one person to make a big play every time,” Winner said. “It’s a team game, and everybody has to contribute.”

Kellie Peyton led Bellarmine with 12 points, and Ashley Lewallen added nine points. The Knights were 5-for-7 from 3-point range in the second half and finished 6-for-12 from beyond the arc.

“Bellarmine didn’t surprise me one bit. They’re sort of like a wounded animal. I mean they’re really tough,” Winstel said. “They’re really, really good. Like I said, they’ve had some struggles, but they came in here and just kicked our butt.

“To be honest with you, for most of the game they outplayed us. Being at home, I think, helped us and we made some big shots at the end.”

Betsey Clark dished out a team-leading four assists for NKU, which notched its first 10-game winning streak since opening the 2000-01 season 10-0. NKU’s longest winning streak last season was eight straight games.

The longest winning streak in Norse history is 34, which was accomplished during a two-season span (24 consecutive wins to end 1999-2000, 10-0 start in 2000-01). The longest single-season winning streak at NKU is 25, set during the 1975-76 campaign.

NKU also ended January with a perfect record (8-0).

The Norse will hit the road next week and begin a two-game road trip with a 6:30 p.m. Thursday contest at Southern Illinois at Edwardsville.

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