Karmen Graham shoots against Lewis

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will play a road game at Southern Illinois at Edwardsville at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

NKU owns a 10-game winning streak after rallying for a 66-64 victory over Bellarmine last Saturday. The Norse are 16-3 overall, 9-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference East.

NKU is tied with Lewis for first place in the GLVC East. SIUE is 10-9 overall, 4-7 in the GLVC. The Cougars are tied for fifth place in the GLVC West.

BRITTANY MAKES NKU A WINNER: NKU junior forward Brittany Winner scored six points in the final two minutes - including a jumper with 13 seconds left to snap a 64-all tie - as the Norse rallied past Bellarmine last Saturday.

Winner finished with 13 points and five rebounds. She made three clutch jumpers - one that tied the game at 61-all, another to give NKU a 63-61 lead and the winning shot - in the final 2:02 of the game.

Winner averages 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. She is also second on the team with 43 assists.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Angela Healy and Cassie Brannen each collected double-doubles against Bellarmine. Healy finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Brannen scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Healy averages 9.9 ppg and 6.1 rebounds. She also ranks No. 3 in the GLVC in blocked shots at 1.42 bpg.

Brannen, who averages 4.8 ppg and 4.6 rpg, is No. 5 in the GLVC in blocked shots at 0.94 bpg.

CONSISTENT IN THE POST: NKU junior forward Karmen Graham ranks No. 3 in the GLVC in scoring (14.8 ppg) and No. 4 in field-goal percentage (.547). Graham scored 13 points against Bellarmine and added three assists in that victory.

NKU’s Cassie Brannen (right)

Graham enters Thursday with 730 career points at NKU. She also has 357 career rebounds and has made 78.2 percent of her free throws.

GLVC LEADER: NKU junior guard Karyn Creager is No. 1 in the GLVC in free-throw percentage at .885. Creager, who scored 14 points against Bellarmine last Saturday, has 632 career points at NKU.

GOING FOR 11 STRAIGHT: NKU is looking for its first 11-game winning streak in a season since ending the 1999-2000 campaign with 24 straight victories and an NCAA Division II national championship.

NO. 1 IN DEFENSE: NKU leads the GLVC in field-goal percentage defense (.348) and scoring defense (52.1 ppg).

PASSING FROM THE POINT: NKU sophomore point guard Nicole Chiodi ranks sixth in the GLVC in assists per game at 3.74.

ABOUT SIUE: The Cougars are led by Whitney Sykes, who averages 11.5 ppg. Alisa Carrillo is scoring 8.4 ppg, and Allison Fogle averages 8.3 ppg.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST SIUE: On Jan. 27, 2005, Karyn Creager scored a game-high 21 points as NKU posted a 71-61 win at SIUE.

Connie Myers collected a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Norse. SIUE 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 3-pointers, and Karmen Graham also connected on a 3-point shot during the run.

A late SIUE rally brought the Cougars within 57-50 with 3:48 left, but Angela Healy drained a clutch 3-point shot with 3:02 remaining to give NKU a 60-50 lead. Healy finished with 11 points off the bench.

Healy made five of the six shots she attempted from the field and added two steals.

Nicole Chiodi draws contact

THE LAST TIME AGAINST QUINCY: On Feb. 24, 2005, NKU held Quincy to just two points during the final 4:54 of the game to rally from a 53-48 deficit and post a 58-55 win over the Lady Hawks in Regents Hall.

Connie Myers scored 20 points to lead NKU, while Karmen Graham added 13 points. Graham also drained a 3-pointer with 2:20 left to give NKU a 55-53 lead, and the Norse extended the advantage to 56-53 with 38 seconds remaining when Myers made one of two free throws.

Jessica Stuckman converted a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left to bring Quincy within 56-55. Graham was fouled with 24 seconds left, but she missed the front end of the bonus and Quincy rebounded with a chance to take the lead.

Elizabeth Burrows, however, deflected a pass to cause a Quincy turnover and NKU regained possession. Brittany Winner made one of two free throws to give the Norse a 57-55 lead, and Quincy promptly committed another turnover with six seconds left.

Karyn Creager made one of two free throws to extend NKU’s advantage to 58-55 with five seconds remaining. Quincy had a final chance to tie the game, but the Lady Hawks were unable to get a shot off before the buzzer.