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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - One year, it might be a blowout. The next season, it could go down to the final minute. But when Northern Kentucky University meets Georgetown (Ky.) in women's basketball, it's always interesting. That's just the way it works out when an established NCAA Division II national power meets a perennial juggernaut from the NAIA ranks. It's usually an in-state basketball rivalry at its best, with a motivated Georgetown squad looking to pull off the huge upset of NKU in Regents Hall. In most years, both teams enter the game sporting a national ranking. That's what happened Wednesday night when Georgetown - ranked No. 19 in the NAIA poll - visited NKU (No. 17 in the NCAA Division II poll) in Regents Hall. This time, NKU shook off a slow start, turned up the defensive intensity in the second half and ran away with a 72-58 win over the Lady Tigers. The Norse improved to 4-1 with the victory and upped their lead in the all-time series to 12-1. "I thought it was an ugly win, but a win nonetheless," said NKU senior center Angela Healy. "We didn’t come out with the energy that we expected, but the second half was much better." Early in the game, it appeared Georgetown (7-2) might run away from NKU. The Lady Tigers held the Norse to one field goal during the opening nine minutes and built an 11-2 lead. "I didn’t think we played very well in the first half. I was disappointed in our defensive intensity and our execution on offense," NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. "I just think we didn’t do a really good job the first half at all. We just seemed out of sync." Jayme Gilbert netted 16 of her game-high 22 points in the first half as Georgetown took a 31-27 lead into the locker room. Katie Filiatreau scored 11 points in the first half. "We did not have an answer for (Gilbert) in the first half, but in the second half we put Nicole (Chiodi) on her," Winstel said. "I thought that Nicole’s size and length bothered Gilbert. In the first half, we just couldn’t keep (Gilbert) off the free-throw line." Georgetown owned a 40-31 lead with 15:50 remaining after two free throws by Maddy Lewis. NKU then hit the Lady Tigers with a 25-8 run to take a 56-48 advantage with 7:12 left. Healy and Karen Brackman keyed the spurt with a pair of baskets, and Jessie Slack drained a 3-pointer off an assist from Brackman to give NKU a 44-42 advantage - the Norse's first lead of the game.
NKU allowed Georgetown to make only 29.2 percent of its shots from the field in the second half and led by as many as 16 points. The Norse also blocked 12 shots, four of those by Slack and three by Rachel Lantry. "I really thought the energy from Danyelle Echoles, Rachel Lantry and Kendra Caldwell was great off the bench," Winstel said. Healy led NKU with 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Highlands High School graduate was 8-for-8 at the free-throw line and added three steals. Chiodi and Cassie Brannen each added 14 points for the Norse, who shot 52.9 percent from the field in the second half. "We’re capable of playing how we did in the second half for the entire game. We just didn’t bring it during the first half," Healy said. "We moved some people around, but basically it was our energy and communicating better as a team." Winstel said Healy's early-season performance (18.0 points, 9.8 rebounds per game) isn't a surprise. "What Angela does for us on and off the court is just tremendous. She is a terrific leader who leads by example," Winstel said. "She works each day and tells the other players what they need to do to win. "When I get upset with them, she calms them down. When I’m calm, she’s upset with them. Angela is kind of the yin and the yang for us. She is just a terrific leader. She has prepared herself for this and I think she is showing it in a great way. I couldn’t be any happier because she has worked so hard." Slack finished with seven points and five assists, while Echoles and Brackman each scored six points. Caldwell added five points, five rebounds and two steals. NKU was just 1-for-11 from 3-point range, but the Norse cashed in on 21 of 25 attempts at the free-throw line. NKU plays host to undefeated Ohio Dominican (8-0) Saturday at 5 p.m. in Regents Hall.
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