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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The memories still exist from that November evening of two years ago, but the pain has eased considerably for members of the Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball program. When Georgetown (Ky.) visits Regents Hall, however, motivation is automatically provided to those NKU players who suffered through a 21-point loss to the NAIA powerhouse two years ago. The Norse - who earned redemption last year by beating the Tigers in the rematch - made it two in a row over Georgetown on Wednesday night by easily dispatching the NAIA visitors, 92-69, in Regents Hall. “I think every time we hear Georgetown, then (two years ago) is what we think of and we just get fired up,” said NKU senior guard Karyn Creager, a sophomore at the time of Georgetown’s 85-64 win in Regents Hall to begin the 2004-05 season. “I think we stick to our intensity on defense because we think about when they came in here and scored a ton of points. They put it to us.” Creager helped put it to Georgetown Wednesday night by scoring 21 points to lead NKU, which improved to 4-1. The Leipsic, Ohio, native connected on all five of her 3-point attempts and added three assists. “When Karyn shoots the ball like that, it takes a lot of pressure off of our interior game,” NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. “I thought we came out with a lot of energy. Georgetown is a very, very good team and they’re well coached, so we knew it was going to be a tough game. “We have a lot of respect for Georgetown. Their coach (Susan Johnson) and I have known each other forever. I have a lot of respect for her. I know that her teams are going to come out and defend and press.” Creager sparked a 23-8 run early in the first half by draining a trio of 3-point shots. Betsey Clark capped the spurt with a basket that gave NKU a 25-13 lead with 10:19 left before halftime. Creager gave NKU its biggest advantage (39-23) of the first half with 5:03 left with another 3-pointer, and the Norse cruised into the break with a 47-36 lead. Creager scored 16 points in the first half, 12 on 3-point shots. “We all believe in (Karyn), and we know that she’s going to hit that shot,” NKU senior forward Brittany Winner said of Creager’s long-range shooting. “We kept getting her the ball, and she kept knocking them down. She knows that we believe in her.” Winner scored 14 points and dished out five assists for NKU, which shot 63 percent from the field. The Norse, ranked No. 12 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, used 10-for-15 shooting from 3-point range and finished with a 30-23 rebounding edge.
Winner made her NKU debut against Georgetown two years ago, and the Minster, Ohio, native knew what to expect from the Tigers. “We know what they’re capable of doing. You can’t underestimate them,” she said. “You can’t think about them being NAIA. They’re going to bring it every year and every game.” Cassie Brannen added 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots for NKU, while teammate Karmen Graham scored 13 points. Katie Butler reached double figures with 10 points as the Norse upped their lead in the all-time series with Georgetown to 11-1. “I thought Cassie Brannen came out and played the way that we need her to play. Cassie is a very, very important part of our offense,” Winstel said. “Last week she was sick and just not feeling well. I don’t know that she ever got her energy in two big games, so she just struggled. It’s just nice to see her back.” Nicole Chiodi scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a game-high seven assists. Angela Healy scored eight points and had three assists for NKU, which collected 25 assists with its effective passing. Megan Gray scored 22 points for Georgetown (9-3), which is ranked No. 18 nationally in the NAIA poll. It was especially important for NKU to respond after what happened Saturday afternoon against Southern Illinois at Edwardsville. The Norse lost in the closing seconds, 65-64. “This is big because we lost on a last-second shot. When you lose a game like that, everybody is kind of upset with everyone,” Winstel said. “Coaches are mad at the players, and the players are mad at the coaches. When you’re in this sport you can go from great to terrible really fast.” The Georgetown win was also big for Creager, who suffered through a 1-for-7 shooting day from the field - including 0-for-5 from 3-point range - in the SIUE game last Saturday. “I was just really frustrated against SIUE. I wanted to help out the team, but I just wasn’t hitting anything,” Creager said. “I think I was putting too much pressure on myself, and this time I just kind of relaxed. We talked before the game about going out there and having fun, and that’s what I tried to do.” NKU will resume Great Lakes Valley Conference play Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Bellarmine. |
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