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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The final season of basketball in Regents Hall tipped off Thursday night, and the Northern Kentucky University women coasted to a 71-53 win over Brescia. Karen Brackman scored a career-high 17 points and collected four steals to lead NKU, which is ranked 18th nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. The junior guard also grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists in 37 minutes of action. "Your offense always starts with your defense. If you get after it on defense, then you’re going to start hitting some shots and that is exactly what we did," Brackman said. "We started off a little shaky, and our offense wasn’t really flowing. I think we really got after the hustle plays, and that made a big difference." NKU (1-0) used a 13-3 run in the first half to turn a 19-all tie into a 32-22 lead with 1:42 remaining before the break. Brackman, making her first start at NKU, netted nine points in the first half. "Danyelle (Echoles) and I, it was our first start ever, and we went from not really playing a lot last year to starting, so we were pretty excited about that," said Brackman, a native of Minster, Ohio. NKU cruised in the second half and built its largest lead (64-42) when Brackman buried a 3-pointer. The Norse held Brescia (1-5) to just 33.9 percent shooting from the field for the game. "In your first game, everyone expects you to win. Look at the people who are getting knocked off in the country in college football and basketball - it is because they’re maybe not ready to play somebody," NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. "I thought we were really ready to play. For Brescia, it was their sixth game of the season. They attacked the basket. They pushed the ball up the floor. They go small and force your big girls to come out and guard their perimeter players. They also hit some 3-pointers." NKU, meanwhile, struggled from long range, shooting just 2-for-16 in 3-point attempts. The Norse were 0-for-7 before halftime from 3-point range, "I think we’re a better 3-point shooting team than 2-of-16," Winstel said. "I think everyone on this team can shoot the three. Rachel (Lantry) can shoot the three. Diondra (Holliday) can shoot the three. Danyelle can shoot the three. Jessica (Wendeln) can shoot the three. I mean, we do have 3-point shooters on the team."
Senior center Angela Healy recorded a double-double for NKU with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Nicole Chiodi finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Echoles, a junior guard and a graduate of Colerain High School, scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds and added three steals. Freshman post player Kendra Caldwell netted eight points in her Norse debut. The Xenia, Ohio, native also blocked two shots and grabbed three rebounds. Lantry blocked three shots in the first half to help NKU rally from an early 13-6 deficit. Junior post player Cassie Brannen, still recovering from an ankle injury, scored four points in 11 minutes of action. "I have confidence in my team, and I know that if I foul out or if I’m in an injury situation like over (at the University of Cincinnati), I know my team will pick it up, and they all did really well tonight," Brannen said. "Karen really stepped up tonight, but that’s the way she can play when she wants to. She is a really good ball player and she showed it tonight." Danielle Jenkins led Brescia with 14 points, but the NAIA school's leading scorer, Christal Floyd, was held to just four points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field. Floyd entered the game averaging more than 16 points per contest. "Our post defense is good. Angie and Cassie are such a presence out there. They are quick post players, which is a really big help," Brackman said. "Their ability to block shots is awesome as well. We try to help them. We really worked on our help-defense this week." NKU is now 3-0 all-time against Brescia. The Norse will travel to Erie, Pa., next Tuesday to meet Mercyhurst at 5:30 p.m.
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