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RENSSELAER, Ind. - Maybe it’s those groovy socks from the 1970s that she broke out for the Indianapolis game. Whatever it is, Jessie Slack has suddenly snapped out a minor shooting slump, and Northern Kentucky University is back on a roll. Slack knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of the game Saturday to spark NKU’s 79-39 shellacking of Saint Joseph’s. The 5-foot-10 junior guard finished with 13 points, three assists and two steals as the 15th-ranked Norse improved to 11-3 overall, 4-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. "Jessie is shooting the ball with a lot of confidence, and it’s nice to see her hitting those shots," NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. "Sometimes that rim looks huge, and sometimes it looks very small. You have to keep taking the shots, and Jessie had a great road trip." Two nights earlier at Indianapolis, Slack poured in 21 points in the second half - including the winning 3-pointer with 8.9 seconds remaining in the game - as NKU handed the Greyhounds their first loss of the season. Karen Brackman scored 15 points to lead five NKU players in double figures. Brackman, a 5-foot-9 junior guard from Minster, Ohio, added four rebounds and three assists for NKU. She scored 10 points in the first half as the Norse jumped out to a 39-21 lead.
"I thought Karen Brackman came off the bench and really played well," Winstel said. "She made some shots in the first half and did a nice job defensively." Senior center Angela Healy finished with 12 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, while junior forward Cassie Brannen added 12 points. Healy, a Highlands High School graduate, now has 967 career points at NKU. "Angela understands the game and what we need from her, and we knew Saint Joseph's had no one who could match up with her inside," Winstel said. "She did a great job of rebounding and getting the ball to people who were open. Angela is having a great senior season, and both her and Nicole (Chiodi) have embraced the leadership roles for our team." Chiodi scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists for NKU, which had lost to Saint Joseph’s the previous two years in the Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse. "It’s nice to win two in a row, and now we want to build on it," Winstel said. "This is normally a tough place for us to play, and I don't remember the last time - if ever - we won by this many points up here." NKU shot 50.8 percent from the field and was 7-for-15 from 3-point range. The Norse held Saint Joseph's (1-12 overall, 0-6 GLVC) to 22.9 percent shooting from the field. Molly Lauck led the Pumas with 12 points and seven rebounds, but NKU dominated the glass and finished with a whopping 48-21 advantage on the boards. NKU returns home to meet Southern Indiana this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Regents Hall. The Norse also play host to Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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