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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Karmen Graham reached 1,000 career points in front of the home fans, and Northern Kentucky University began the road back to defending its conference title Thursday night at the expense of Missouri-Rolla. The Norse coasted to a 72-51 win over the visiting Lady Miners in Regents Hall. NKU snapped a four-game losing streak against Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents and improved to 8-5 overall, 2-4 in the GLVC. Katie Butler and Karyn Creager combined for 37 points to lead NKU, which held Missouri-Rolla to 32.8 percent shooting from the field. Butler poured in 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds for NKU, while Creager added 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Butler, a 6-foot-1 senior forward, netted 15 of her 20 points in the second half as NKU gradually pulled away from the Lady Miners (8-6, 2-5 GLVC). She drained a 3-pointer to begin a 16-6 run in the second half that stretched a 32-25 lead into a 48-31 cushion with 11:49 remaining. Butler also blocked three shots and was 9-for-11 from the free-throw line. "I think Katie is a tremendous talent, and I think that we’re very fortunate to have her," Winstel said. "She has so many offensive tools, and we just need to get her on the floor. We need to find ways to allow her on the court. "I think that her understanding of what she needs to do in practice gets better every day, and with that she’s going to play a lot of minutes." Butler, a transfer from the University of Dayton who has provided NKU with instant offense during her two years, is getting better defensively, and that will mean even more playing time. The Findlay, Ohio, native also said she realizes it is time for the Norse to put together wins if they hope to make this season special. Especially the seniors. "I really noticed it when school started for the second semester. I have four classes, and then I graduate, so I just need to realize that I’ve played basketball all my life, and this is my last go around at it," she said. "We just need to step it up in the second half of the season so our five seniors, who have been playing for so long, can go out on top of our game." Graham, a senior from Kettering, Ohio, became the 22nd player in Norse history to score 1,000 career points when she made a pair of free throws in the first half. It was unfamiliar territory for the All-American post player.
"I didn't even score 1,000 points in high school, so it was exciting to reach that mark. But it was even better because we were able to get a win," said Graham, who finished with five points. Winstel said the milestone tells only part of the story about Graham, who has battled injuries and sickness this season. "She gets her 1,000th (point) ball. There are a lot of outstanding players in (the 1,000-point club), but, boy, I’m really happy for her," Winstel said. "Whether she’s 100 percent or 80 percent, she’s going to give you 100 percent of whatever she is. If Karmen’s 75 percent, she’s going to give you 100 percent of that. "She just plays so hard and she wants to win. Karmen’s such a leader by example. Those are the things that you just can’t teach somebody; her will and want to win." Angela Healy added eight points and eight rebounds for NKU, and teammate Nicole Chiodi scored eight points. Karen Brackman came off the bench to score seven points and grab five rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Brackman, a sophomore guard from Minster, Ohio, helped the NKU bench produce 33 points against Missouri-Rolla. She knocked down a 3-pointer and had three rebounds in the first half. Her baseline drive and acrobatic reverse layup in the second half gave NKU a 13-point lead. "Actually, I’ve had a really good week of practice, so I had a lot of confidence coming into tonight’s game," Brackman said. "We haven’t been home in a long time, and we need to get fired up and start another winning streak. We know we can do it, but we need to keep our confidence and keep pushing each other in practice." NKU made just 39.6 percent of its shots from the field, but the Norse converted 26-of-32 attempts from the line. Creager, who last week shattered her own school record when she hit her 34th consecutive free throw, was 5-for-6 at the line and added three steals. The senior guard from Leipsic, Ohio, scored 10 of her 17 points in the second half. Missouri-Rolla, which went almost 10 minutes without scoring a point during the first half, failed to place a player in double figures. Four players netted eight points for the Lady Miners. NKU, meanwhile, can get back to pursuing the GLVC East Division title. After suffering through an 0-for-2 road trip last week, playing in Regents Hall felt good. "I think we were at home, and that helps," Winstel said. "I think that our kids want to win, and they don’t want to get beat. They want to be successful, but when you struggle, that’s when you have to work harder, and that’s what we’re trying to do. "It’s easy when things are going great, but when things aren’t going well or when you have to fight through injuries or complacency or even believing in yourself and each other, then you’ve got to try to find ways. I think that you find the measure of your team when you’re put in those situations." NKU will play host to Missouri-St. Louis at 1 p.m. Saturday. |
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