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By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team begins the regular season Tuesday night at 7 p.m. by playing host to Midway (Ky.) in Regents Hall. NKU will also be in action at 1 p.m. next Saturday, when Wayne (Mich.) State visits Regents Hall for an important regional contest. Both games can be heard live on the Internet at www.nku.edu/~athletics. NKU returns all five starters from last year’s squad that posted a 27-5 overall record and a 16-3 Great Lakes Valley Conference mark. The Norse welcome back 11 letterwinners who helped capture the GLVC Tournament championship with a victory over Drury. NKU, which is ranked 15th nationally in the Division II poll, features five seniors, including All-America forward Karmen Graham and GLVC Tournament most valuable player Brittany Winner. The Norse are favored to win the GLVC East Division, according to the preseason coaches' poll. WINSTEL GOES FOR 500 AT NKU: Norse head coach Nancy Winstel can record her 500th career victory at NKU on Tuesday night. Winstel is currently 499-168 entering her 24th season on the Norse sideline. Ironically enough, Winstel began her coaching career at Midway, where she led the Eagles to a 39-41 record in three seasons. This marks the first meeting between NKU and Midway in women's basketball. Winstel picked up her 500th collegiate coaching win with a 57-51 victory at Northwood (Mich.) on Dec. 31, 2004. She currently ranks fifth all-time in wins among active coaches in the NCAA Division II. TUNING UP FOR THE SEASON: NKU lost exhibition games to NCAA Division I opponents Kentucky (77-60) and Indiana (74-61) during the preseason. Kentucky was ranked 16th nationally in the Division I poll, and the Wildcats rallied to defeat the Norse.
Karyn Creager
led NKU with 11 points against Kentucky, and Katie Butler added
10 points off the bench. Brittany Winner added eight points, six
rebounds and four assists, while teammate Keri Finnell netted seven
points off the bench. In their last exhibition at Indiana, sophomore post player Cassie Brannen led NKU with 12 points off the bench, and senior forward Katie Butler tossed in 11 points in a reserve role. Junior center Angela Healy scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for NKU, which won the rebounding battle by a 42-41 margin and shot 27-for-34 from the free-throw line. TOUGH ON THE BOARDS: The Norse did the job rebounding the basketball in exhibition play. In their two games against Division I competition, the Norse held a +1.5 rebounding margin, and outrebounded their opponents in both games. In those two games, 31.9 percent of their rebounds came off the offensive glass, compared to last season’s average of 25.2 percent. IN MIDSEASON FORM: Norse junior center Angela Healy averaged 7.5 rebounds during the past two exhibition contests, including an 11-rebound performance against Indiana on Nov. 6. THE BUTLER DID IT: Senior forward Katie Butler came off the bench to average 10.5 points in NKU’s two exhibition contests. Butler was the only Norse player to average double-figures in those two preseason games, and she did the job on 8-of-15 shooting, including 40 percent from 3-point range. Last season, Butler averaged 5.4 ppg and was 24-for-48 from 3-point range. Butler, who transferred to NKU from the University of Dayton before last season, is from Findlay, Ohio. GRAHAM-TASTIC: NKU senior forward Karmen Graham averaged 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season. She needs 92 points to become the 22nd NKU women’s basketball player to join the 1,000-point club. Graham is from Kettering, Ohio. GOOD OMEN: NKU's senior class holds a 2-1 record in regular-season openers, with wins over Nova Southeastern in 2003-04 and Wilberforce last season. ABOUT MIDWAY: The Eagles are 2-4 after suffering a 66-26 loss to Brescia on Nov. 14. Midway scored just 10 points in the second half of that game and finished 9-for-44 from the field. Forward Ashley Parker averages 12.4 points and 11.2 rebounds for Midway. Desiree Haney is averaging 11.6 points.
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