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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Less than 48 hours after suffering a forgettable road loss to Quincy, Northern Kentucky University bounced back with a memorable performance against Southern Illinois at Edwardsville. Jessie Slack scored 20 points and dished out five assists as NKU coasted to a 75-67 win over SIUE in the Vadalabene Center on Saturday. Slack, a 5-foot-10 junior guard and a transfer from East Carolina, also collected five steals and grabbed four rebounds as NKU improved to 3-1 overall, 1-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. It also helped ease some of the sting from an 83-66 setback at Quincy on Thursday night. “This was a game we really needed to have after what happened at Quincy. To be able to bounce back and play this well says something about the character of our team,” NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. “I am really proud of the way they took it to a good team on the road. Our players were not happy with the way they played at Quincy, and neither was I. “But I told them you re-focus and move on after that game. We’re better than we played Thursday, and I think the girls showed that with this performance against a very good team. SIUE just beat Bellarmine on Thursday, and it just shows how tough this conference really is.” Cassie Brannen and Angela Healy each added 14 points for NKU, which is ranked 15th nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. The Norse built an 18-point lead with 13:44 remaining, but SIUE used a 16-2 run to cut the NKU advantage to 61-57 with 6:34 left. “I thought we became a little tired, and that allowed them to make that big run. But our players responded down the stretch,” Winstel said.
Healy made a pair of free throws to extend NKU’s lead to 63-57, and Brannen followed with an inside basket to give the Norse a 65-57 edge. Slack later drained a 3-pointer to make it a 68-59 NKU advantage, and SIUE was unable to mount another rally. “Our guards played very well, and I know seeing nine turnovers on the stat sheet looks a lot better than the 29 we say the other night at Quincy,” Winstel said. “Nicole Chiodi did a lot of great things to help us win, and you saw the real Jessie Slack step up today and hit big shots. I told our players we have to find Jessie Slack by moving the ball, and they did a great job with their passing.” Amber Shelton scored a game-high 33 points to lead SIUE, which is 4-2 overall, 1-1 GLVC. The Cougars, reclassifying to NCAA Division I status next year, are in their final season of competition in the GLVC. Chiodi scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds and added three steals for NKU. Karen Brackman finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Winstel also praised Brackman’s defensive effort. “Brackie did a great job on (Whitney) Sykes defensively. She stayed home on her and didn’t give her any good looks,” Winstel said, noting Sykes’ 0-for-5 shooting performance from the field. NKU held SIUE to 35.7 percent shooting from the field. The Cougars won the rebounding battle by a 46-33 margin, including 16 offensive boards. NKU plays host to NAIA powerhouse Georgetown (Ky.) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Regents Hall. The Norse also meet Ohio Dominican next Saturday at 5 p.m. in Regents Hall.
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