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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - A long-awaited rematch between two of the top teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference takes place Thursday at 7 p.m. when Northern Kentucky University visits Springfield, Mo., to play perennial power Drury. Both teams are on a roll entering Thursday. NKU has won six straight games and is 13-5 overall, 7-4 in the GLVC. Drury owns a five-game winning streak and is 14-5 overall. The Lady Panthers are also in sole possession of first place in the GLVC West Division with an 8-3 record. The game is a rematch of last season’s GLVC Tournament championship at Evansville, Ind. NKU prevailed by an 86-73 score in Roberts Stadium. NKU will conclude the road trip Saturday with a 2 p.m. game at Rockhurst. Both games can be heard live on WIOK (107.5 FM) or on the Internet at www.nku.edu/~athletics. GLVC OPPONENTS BEWARE: The Drury women’s basketball program has not lost in Weiser Gym to a GLVC opponent since joining the league last season. The Lady Panthers are 14-0 all-time against GLVC teams on their home floor in the regular season. Grand Valley State did knock off Drury to capture the regional championship last season in Weiser Gym. Drury finished 15-1 at home in 2005-06. FINDING THEIR STRIDE: NKU is rolling after a weekend sweep of GLVC East Division foes Indianapolis and Saint Joseph's. NKU vaulted from fifth place to sharing second place with Bellarmine as a result of the two wins. GET
IT INSIDE: Angela Healy continues to lead the charge offensively
for NKU, averaging 11.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. She also stands
third on the team with 50 assists. The Ft. Thomas, Ky., native has
scored in DEFENSE RULES: NKU is second in the GLVC in scoring defense, allowing just 59.3 points to its rivals. This defensive dominance is keyed off its league-leading 104 blocked shots. NKU is the only team in the GLVC to boast three players with 10 or more blocks. Cassie Brannen stands third in the GLVC with 32 blocked shots. She has recorded at least one block in her last five games.
NATION’S BEST: NKU ranks No. 1 nationally in the latest NCAA Division II statistics in field-goal percentage at 47.8 percent. The Norse also lead the GLVC in free-throw percentage (79.1 percent), good for second in the nation behind Philadelphia (Pa.). CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Senior post player Karmen Graham, NKU's most recent 1,000-point club member, continues to climb the ladder among Norse scoring greats. Graham enters the weekend with 1,031 career points and needs 11 to pass Janet Brungs for 21st place all-time among NKU scorers. ABOUT DRURY: Molly Carter leads the offense for the Lady Panthers, averaging 16.3 points on the year. As a team, Drury is averaging nearly 12.5 steals per game. The Lady Panthers also lead the GLVC in turnover margin, taking away 5.5 more balls than they give away. THE LAST TIME AGAINST DRURY: On March 5, 2006, Brittany Winner poured in a career-high 30 points as NKU defeated Drury, 86-73, in the GLVC Tournament championship game at Evansville, Ind. Winner shot 10-for-13 from the field and made all nine of her free throws as NKU won its first GLVC title since 2000. Winner also grabbed seven rebounds, handled the ball flawlessly against the Drury pressure and was named the most outstanding player of the tournament as the Norse earned the GLVC’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Katie Butler and Karyn Creager each added 15 points for NKU. Nicole Chiodi scored 12 points and made a key 3-pointer late in the second half. THE LAST TIME AGAINST ROCKHURST: On Dec. 1, 2005, Cassie Brannen registered her first career double-double as the Norse rallied to defeat Rockhurst 70-57, in Regents Hall. Brannen came off the bench for 14 points and 13 rebounds to go with four steals. Brittany Winner had 12 points while Nicole Chiodi netted 10 in the victory. Julie Cook and Alisha Cade each scored 12 to lead Rockhurst in its first-ever GLVC contest after leaving the Heartland Conference. |
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