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EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The inside attack of Northern Kentucky University made Missouri-Rolla's stay in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament short and sour Friday afternoon. NKU sent Missouri-Rolla packing with a 67-52 first-round victory in Roberts Stadium. The Norse continually pounded the ball inside to post players Angela Healy (23 points) and Cassie Brannen (14 points) and cruised past the Lady Miners into the GLVC Tournament semifinals. Healy, a 6-foot-1 junior center, shot 8-for-12 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds. The Highlands High School graduate also blocked three shots and finished with two assists. "It's always our plan to try and get the ball inside, and today our guards made some really good passes," said Healy, who was named to the All-GLVC second team this season. "A couple of their post players were in foul trouble early, and our guards were looking hard inside." Healy, in fact, made her first five shots from the field as NKU built a 16-9 lead. The Norse (21-6 overall record) started the game 7-for-9 from the field behind the play of Healy and Brannen. "Angela carried us in November and December when we were struggling, and she is starting to play like that again," NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. "She understands how to get open, how to finish, and she is also a great free-throw shooter if you foul her. Angela and Cassie both played well in this game, and we did a good job of getting them the ball in position to score." Missouri-Rolla (17-11) battled back and cut the NKU lead to 18-17 on a basket by Katie Bunge. The Norse scored the next eight points to extend their advantage to 26-17 with 4:54 left before halftime. Brannen capped the NKU run by powering in for a basket while being fouled. She converted the free throw to give the Norse a nine-point lead. Karyn Creager hit a jumper just before the half ended to give NKU a 34-25 lead. The Lady Miners pulled to within five points twice early in the second half, but NKU used a 7-0 run to stretch its lead to 43-31 when Katie Butler buried a 3-pointer. Butler, a 6-1 senior forward, finished with eight points and three blocked shots. With starting forward Brittany Winner in first-half foul trouble, Winstel turned to both Butler and senior guard Betsey Clark to fill the void of her team's leading scorer.
"Betsey gave us some very good minutes after Brittany picked up the two early fouls, and they had a tough defensive assignment guarding No. 23 (Nicole Dierking), because she is a very good player," Winstel said. "Katie Butler did a heck of a job in this game. We have been looking at using her on the perimeter because of her ability to shoot the 3-pointer. Katie made a big contribution in this win, and I thought she and Betsey were outstanding." Creager and Nicole Chiodi each added nine points for NKU, which shot 53.1 percent from the field. Brannen hauled down a game-high 10 rebounds and added two blocks, bringing her school-record season total to 69 rejections. Bunge led Missouri-Rolla with 16 points. The Lady Miners, who entered the GLVC Tournament on a roll after picking up road wins at Southern Illinois at Edwardsville and Quincy last week, made just 33.9 percent of their shots from the field. NKU, meanwhile, is in the GLVC Tournament semifinals. "It's tournament time, and everyone is excited about being here," said Healy, who helped NKU claim the GLVC title last season. "We're confident, but not cocky, and we just want to defend our championship." The Norse will meet Drury - which defeated Kentucky Wesleyan, 74-63, Friday night in a first-round game - at 8:30 p.m. (CST) Saturday. Lewis and Bellarmine will meet in the other semifinal game at 6 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Pairings for the NCAA Division II Tournament will be announced Sunday night, and NKU is expected to receive a berth in the Great Lakes Regional. The Norse are No. 3 in the latest regional poll. Lewis is the No. 1 seed in the latest regional poll and is expected to be the host for the Great Lakes Region Tournament, which will be played March 9, 10 and 12.
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