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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - None of the current players on the Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball roster have ever been to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight as participants. Until now. The Norse women can start packing their luggage for Kearney, Neb., and the NCAA Division II Elite Eight after posting a 60-52 win over Missouri S&T in the championship game of the Great Lakes Region Tournament on Monday night. NKU improved to 25-8 and captured its first regional title since 2003. It marked the fifth regional championship in the past 10 years for NKU, which also collected titles in 1999, 2000, '02 and '03. This one was especially satisfying for Norse head coach Nancy Winstel, who had to replace five talented seniors from last season's 21-win team. "If you had told me in November we would be going to the Elite Eight, well, I probably would have laughed," said Winstel, who guided NKU to the 2000 NCAA Division II national championship. "About three weeks ago, after we lost at Bellarmine and Kentucky Wesleyan, it looked bleak as far as even making the NCAA Tournament. "After that, we took a break. Everyone came back refreshed and renewed. Since then, we have played very well, and that continued tonight against a very good Missouri S&T team. The second half has belonged to us the past three games, and this one was no different." After Missouri S&T took a 39-34 lead with 12:12 remaining in the game, NKU responded in big-time fashion. Cassie Brannen sandwiched four free throws around an Angela Healy basket to give the Norse a 40-39 advantage. With the score tied at 42-all, Jessie Slack began a 7-0 NKU run with a pair of free throws. Brannen then powered in a basket to extend the Norse's lead to 46-42, and Slack capped the spurt by draining a 3-pointer to make it 49-42 with 6:30 left on the clock. When asked if she was concerned about a possible letdown after NKU's 84-65 win over top-seeded Drury, Slack said no way. "This was for the regional championship and the Elite Eight, and we know S&T is a very good team, so we were ready," said Slack, who was named to the Great Lakes Region all-tournament team. "No one was going to let down in this game, and we carried it over from the Drury game."
Brannen and Danyelle Echoles each made a pair of free throws in the final 1:24 to seal the win and regional title for NKU, which held Missouri S&T to 34.5 percent shooting from the field. Brannen scored a game-high 25 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the field. She also converted all eight of her free-throw attempts and grabbed five rebounds. Brannen, a graduate of Mount Notre Dame High School, was named the regional’s most outstanding player. Two nights earlier, the 6-foot-1 junior post player poured in 29 points against Drury. "Cassie Brannen was incredible in this tournament, and she deserved that award," Winstel said. "She did a great job of scoring, but she also played very good defense. Cassie drew fouls and made the free throws, and that is how you win tournament games. We started moving the ball around very well in the second half and were aggressive. Our entire team made plays, and Cassie was just great." Slack added 12 points and seven rebounds for NKU, which was 18-for-20 from the free-throw line. Echoles finished with nine points and four assists, while Nicole Chiodi added eight points and seven rebounds. Katie Bunge led Missouri S&T (24-7) with 15 points, while teammate Jaime Forsberg added 11 points. NKU will meet South Atlantic Region champion Wingate (N.C.) in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight on March 26 at Kearney, Neb. Wingate (25-7) knocked off Clayton (Ga.) State to advance to the Elite Eight. "We are excited to go to Nebraska, and this is a fun time to play basketball," Winstel said, "but we are going there to try and win. It's a great accomplishment to win a regional championship, and we are looking forward to being back in the Elite Eight. What a great feeling for our players, their parents, who are awesome fans, and everyone at NKU."
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