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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will take on unbeaten Indianapolis in a Great Lakes Valley Conference road game Thursday at 5:30 p.m. NKU enters Thursday’s game 9-3 overall, 2-2 in the GLVC. The Norse are also ranked 15th nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. Indianapolis is 11-0 overall, 4-0 in the GLVC. NKU will conclude the road trip Saturday with a game at Saint Joseph’s at 2 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on WIOK (107.5 FM) and on the Internet at www.nkunorse.com. DRURY ESCAPES LATE: A game-ending 10-2 run helped Drury rally past NKU, 55-52, Saturday in Regents Hall. NKU held a 50-45 lead with 3:22 remaining after Nicole Chiodi’s layup, but Drury responded with a 6-0 run to take a 51-50 advantage. Jessie Slack converted a baseline drive for a basket with 1:40 left to give NKU a 52-51 lead, but those would be the final points for the Norse. BOARDS GALORE: NKU senior center Angela Healy leads the GLVC in rebounding at 10.2 boards per game and blocked shots at 1.83 bpg. Healy ranks No. 6 in the GLVC in scoring (16.0 points per game) and is 12th in field-goal percentage (.504). She also ranks fourth in free-throw percentage (.879). The Highlands High School graduate enters Thursday with 945 career points and is looking to become the 24th member of NKU’s 1,000-point club. 1,000-POINT CLUB REUNION: The two most recent members of the NKU 1,000-point club, former standouts Karmen Graham and Karyn Creager, were recognized following Saturday’s game and presented basketballs commemorating their accomplishments. Graham (1,088 points) and Creager (1,035 points) each reached that milestone last season. Graham also finished No. 7 all-time in Norse history in field-goal percentage at .509 and No. 3 all-time in free-throw percentage (.818). Creager ended her career as NKU’s all-time career leader in free-throw percentage (.879) and owns the school record with 34 consecutive makes from the line. BEST IN THE GLVC: NKU is No. 1 in the GLVC in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just .347 from the floor. The Norse also continue to lead the GLVC in blocked shots at 6.92 rejections per game. CASSIE ON TARGET: NKU junior post player Cassie Brannen is shooting a GLVC-leading 59.4 percent from the field. The Mount Notre Dame High School graduate is also ninth in the GLVC in scoring (13.8 ppg) and fourth in blocked shots (1.50 bpg). COLD SPELL: NKU is shooting 27.7 percent from 3-point range this season, which ranks 13th in the GLVC. The Norse were 3-for-18 from long range Saturday in their loss to Drury. During the past four games, NKU is a combined 13-for-61 (21.3 percent) in 3-point attempts.
ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS: The Greyhounds feature senior guard Karla Mast, who averages 19.4 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Mast leads the team in 3-pointers made with 24. Sophomore guard Jessica Canary is scoring 12.5 ppg and 5.4 rpg. Freshman center/forward Samantha Meissel averages 11.0 ppg and 6.1 rpg for the Greyhounds, who are 5-0 in Nicoson Hall this season. THE LAST TIME AGAINST INDIANAPOLIS: On Feb. 24, 2007, Cassie Brannen blocked a school-record 12 shots during a 58-53 win at Indianapolis. Brannen's 12 rejections easily surpassed the previous record of seven blocks, shared jointly by Kristin Polosky and Janet Brungs. Brannen also added 12 points and seven rebounds as NKU wrapped up its 20-win season by rallying from a 28-21 halftime deficit. NKU used a 9-0 run to begin the second half to take a 30-28 lead. After Indianapolis battled back to regain a 36-30 lead, NKU went on a 14-4 spurt to take control of the game. Karyn Creager, who scored her 1,000th career point in this game, capped the run with a 3-pointer that gave NKU a 44-40 lead. Creager later buried another 3-pointer to give NKU a 55-45 advantage, and the Norse held off the Greyhounds. Brittany Winner scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots for NKU, which finished with a school-record 15 blocks. The Norse held to 27.8 percent shooting from the field in the second half. In their first meeting last season in Regents Hall, Winner scored 17 of her 21 points in the second half as NKU rallied for a 62-54 victory over Indianapolis. The 5-foot-10 forward finished 8-for-11 from the field and grabbed six rebounds. Keyed by Winner, NKU used a 21-2 run to take a 49-40 advantage with 9:41 left. She began the spurt by making a pair of free throws, and Creager followed by a conventional three-point play. With Indianapolis employing a 3-2 zone defense, Winner capped the big run by draining back-to-back 3-pointers to give NKU a 49-40 lead. THE LAST TIME AGAINST SAINT JOSEPH’S: On Feb. 22, 2007, NKU watched its 12-game winning streak halted in shocking fashion by Saint Joseph’s, 65-58, in the Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse. NKU entered the game ranked No. 24 nationally and had not lost since Jan. 6. The Norse already owned a 79-54 win over Saint Joseph’s earlier in the season, and the Pumas were 0-10 against GLVC East Division opponents going into the game. NKU bolted out to a 9-0 lead in the opening 3:10 of the game. Saint Joseph’s, however, countered with a 13-3 run to take a 13-12 lead. By halftime, the Pumas owned a 27-25 lead after holding NKU to 30.3 percent shooting from the field. The second half was more of the same for NKU, which made just 32.1 percent of its shots. The Norse also missed all nine of their attempts from 3-point range after the break and watched helplessly as Saint Joseph’s ended their 12-game winning streak. COMING FEB. 16...THE FINAL GAME IN REGENTS HALL...RETRO UNIFORM DAY FOR NKU
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