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By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - A typical college basketball game is played over 40 minutes. On Tuesday night, however, defensive dominance on the part of the Northern Kentucky University women stopped its opponent’s production after just 30. Southern Illinois at Edwardsville was held scoreless over the final 10:02 as the Norse won their Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal game against the Cougars, 68-56, in Regents Hall. NKU advances to play Missouri S&T in the GLVC Tournament semifinals at Springfield, Mo., on Saturday. Drury defeated Wisconsin-Parkside on Tuesday and is the host for the event. For SIUE, Tuesday was a night of finality, as Wendy Hedberg coached her final game on the Cougar bench in the team’s last game at the NCAA Division II level. SIUE will reclassify to Division I next season. Laura Witherspoon converted a layup with just more than 10 minutes remaining in the second half to put the Cougars up by five before the Norse responded with a 17-0 run to end the contest. “I told our seniors that they needed to be seniors,” said NKU head coach Nancy Winstel. “There were times where Edwardsville was beating us on some hustle plays. But when the chips were down, I thought we stepped up.” Senior Angela Healy and junior Cassie Brannen accounted for eight points during the stretch to go along with five rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals. All told, Brannen went for 14 points, five rebounds and four blocks, while Healy added 12 points, eight boards, four assists and three rejections. “Our bread and butter is to get the ball inside to Cassie and Angela and when we only shoot jump shots, that is not a good thing,” said Winstel, praising the team’s inside game. “They have to have touches and I think we understand that, but then again, our guards have the confidence to shoot the ball.” It was a game of runs, as the Norse jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the game’s first five minutes. Danyelle Echoles and Jessie Slack each hit from long range as the Norse took the early advantage. SIUE’s Amber Shelton then began to find her rhythm, scoring eight of the Cougars’ next 18 points to turn a six-point deficit into a five-point lead. By the end of the night, Shelton would put up 22 points to lead all scorers. Amy Austin’s 3-pointer with 9:25 remaining would give the Cougars their largest lead of the night at 18-12. NKU would not be held down, however, responding with a 13-7 run to end the first half as Echoles poured in eight of her season-high 16 points, including a pair of treys, to put the Norse back on top, 30-29, at the intermission. “We could have been down by 10 at halftime,” Winstel said, “but we were up one, and I thought Echoles was the main reason for that.” The flow of the game went back and forth to open the second half, with the teams trading the lead seven different times in the first 7:30 of the frame. Slack got in a groove during the stretch with eight of her team-high 17 points helping to keep the game close leading into NKU’s game-ending run. Both teams relied on their respective starting fives, combining for just seven points off the benches. “It wasn’t the prettiest game we’ve played, but when you get to tournament time, it is survive and advance,” added Winstel, whose team is fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. “I’ve been in March Madness for the last three weeks. We found a way to win, so good for us.”
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