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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - As she usually does in big games, Brittany Winner delivered yet another clutch performance for Northern Kentucky University against No. 7 Lewis on Thursday night. Winner scored 22 points, dished out four assists and collected three steals as NKU posted a 73-61 victory over Lewis in Regents Hall. The Norse improved to 16-5 overall, 10-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. NKU also ended Lewis’ 13-game winning streak and extended its own string of consecutive victories to nine. While it was certainly a team effort, Winner - known as B-Dubs to teammates and coaches - keyed the victory. “She played great. She’s in that B-Dubs zone," NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. "When she’s in that zone like she was last year down at Bellarmine and against Drury, look out. Tonight she was in that zone and you could tell. “It’s not unusual to see Brittany play big in a game like this, and we just beat one of the best teams in the country. She kept us in it the first half. Then in the second half, I felt like we had more contributions." Winner, who was named the most valuable player of the GLVC Tournament last season after scoring 30 points in the championship game against Drury, did much of the same Thursday. The senior forward poured in 15 points in the first half and was part of a defensive effort that held Lewis to 39.3 percent shooting from the field. NKU began the second half with a 10-4 run as Winner scored the first five points of the spurt. The Norse led by as many as 15 points and coasted to the key regional victory. Lewis had just entered the B-Dubs zone, and the Flyers departed Regents Hall with a loss for the 10th consecutive year. "There are certain days you’re just full of energy and you can’t wait to play. It’s happened to me in games where we needed it," said Winner, a native of Minster, Ohio. "It's fun and I wish it would happen every time, but you can’t get that lucky."
Cassie Brannen, a graduate of Mount Notre Dame High School, added 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Angela Healy finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks. With Winner sizzling from the outside, Lewis had to abandon any thoughts of sagging inside to defend. The result was plenty of opportunities for the Norse inside attack. "We knew that they were going to play a sagging man-to-man, so it was very important for us to hit some of those outside shots," Winner said. "It worked out well for us to shoot outside early and then at halftime, coach was saying we need to get our inside game going. I think we did that." Karyn Creager finished with nine points, seven rebounds and two assists, while Nicole Chiodi added eight points, five assists and a team-leading nine rebounds. "I thought the team played great, and I thought our seniors performed well," Winstel said. "Karyn Creager played well and had two huge rebounds and backdoor plays when we needed them. It was a great win against a heck of a good team. They’re very, very good.” NKU won the rebounding battle by a 38-33 margin and committed just nine turnovers. Darcee Schmidt led Lewis (19-3, 12-2 GLVC) with 20 points and nine rebounds. Mary Moskal added 15 points and five assists for the Flyers, who were the last team to beat NKU (75-64 on Jan. 6). The Norse held Schmidt - the probable GLVC Player of the Year - to six points in the second half. Moskal, last season's GLVC Player of the Year, was held to 4-for-12 shooting from the field. A month ago, Schmidt and Moskal combined for 55 points during a 75-64 win over NKU at Romeoville, Ill. Schmidt poured in 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the field in that game. Moskal finished with 23 points against NKU in the first meeting, but the Norse defense contained both players more effectively in the rematch. "We started to play behind (Schmidt) because when we played in front of her, she was getting the ball and scoring on us," Brannen said of NKU's second-half adjustments Thursday. Lewis is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA II Great Lakes Region poll, and NKU is No. 5. Rankings aside, though, Winstel said it was crucial for her team to play well at home during the next week.
"We struggled to win at home against some pretty good teams early in the season. Tonight was huge for us because we’re starting a homestand of some big, big games," Winstel said. "We lost some early, and I think in some strange way, that has made us stronger as a group. I think maybe we appreciate what we have to do to win. "I think we almost appreciate the process. What a special team this is. I’m really proud for them and really happy for them, too." In other words, NKU is again making a late-season run. And no one can really explain why a team struggles for a while, then begins rolling. The answer isn't even found in the B-Dubs zone. "I think a lot of us have such high expectations because we have, basically, the same team as last year. You think you're ready to take off, but you know it’s not always like that," said Winner, whose team was picked to win the GLVC East in the preseason poll. "We started off with some good wins, but in the middle of the season, we kind of hit a funk. I can’t really explain it. "We’re not done yet. We’re going to keep getting better and it’s going to keep building." NKU plays host to Wisconsin-Parkside at 1 p.m. Saturday. Earlier this season, the Norse dropped a 66-57 decision to the Rangers at Kenosha, Wis. The Norse conclude their home schedule next week with games against Bellarmine (Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.) and Kentucky Wesleyan (Thursday at 5:30 p.m.). Prior to the game against Kentucky Wesleyan, NKU will recognize its five senior players - Winner, Creager, Betsey Clark, Katie Butler and Karmen Graham - and their families.
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