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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will play the University of Cincinnati in an exhibition game Thursday at 7 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena. NKU returns three starters from last season’s 21-8 team that advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Norse senior center Angela Healy averaged 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season and is the team’s top returning player. Healy was named to the All-GLVC second team as a junior. NKU also returns senior point guard Nicole Chiodi (6.9 ppg, team-leading 98 assists) and junior post player Cassie Brannen (9.0 ppg, school-record 71 blocked shots). Returning letterwinners Karen Brackman (3.0 ppg), Danyelle Echoles (1.7 ppg) and Rachel Lantry (1.5 ppg) figure to play key roles this season. The Norse brought in an impressive group of newcomers, led by East Carolina transfer Jessie Slack. TOUGH TO REPLACE: Five seniors must be replaced from last season’s squad, including 1,000-point scorers Karmen Graham and Karyn Creager. Also missing is All-Great Lakes Valley Conference and All-Region performer Brittany Winner (11.3 points per game), post player Katie Butler and guard Betsey Clark. LAST YEAR'S EXHIBITIONS: A year ago, NKU played Kentucky and Indiana in exhibition games. Kentucky posted a 77-60 win over the Norse on Nov. 1 at Lexington, Ky. Indiana defeated NKU, 74-61, on Nov. 6 at Bloomington, Ind. In the Indiana game, the Norse forged a 26-24 halftime lead in Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers, however, rallied in the second half for the win over NKU. Jamie Braun's game-high 14 points paced the Hoosiers. Indiana also blocked nine shots and collected 12 steals to pull away from the Norse. Indiana used a 22-2 run midway through the second half to build a 48-34 lead. The Hoosiers led the remainder of the way and cruised to the win. Indiana and NKU traded baskets in the opening minutes of the contest that included three lead changes. The Hoosiers extended their lead to 17-13 with just under eight minutes into the half thanks to three unanswered baskets from Braun and freshman forward Michelle Carr.
With four minutes remaining in the first stanza, the Norse knotted the score at 19-19. Sarah McKay netted her first 3-pointer of the game which put IU back on top, 22-20, with just under a minute left in the half, but a half-court shot by Nicole Chiodi just before the buzzer gave Northern Kentucky the 26-24 halftime lead. Cassie Brannen led NKU with 12 points off the bench, and Katie Butler tossed in 11 points in a reserve role. Angela Healy scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for NKU, which shot 17.2 percent in the first half and still managed to own the lead. The Norse won the rebounding battle by a 42-41 margin and shot 27-for-34 from the free-throw line. REJECTION MACHINE: NKU junior post player Cassie Brannen blocked a school-record 12 shots in a game against Indianapolis on Feb. 24, 2007. Brannen is a graduate of Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati. NKU NO. 2 IN GLVC POLL: NKU is picked to finish second in the GLVC East Division by the league coaches. Bellarmine is the favorite in the GLVC East after totaling 33 points and four first-place votes. The Knights finished 19-11 overall, 11-8 in the GLVC last season. NKU (14-5 in the GLVC last season) finished second in the voting with 29 total points and one first-place vote, while Kentucky Wesleyan (18-10, 11-8 GLVC) collected 27 total points and one first-place vote to finish third in the poll. LOTS OF SLACK: NKU junior guard Jessie Slack was a major contributor for East Carolina the past two years. She started 22 games last season and averaged 6.7 points as the Pirates captured the Conference USA championship. East Carolina advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 19-14 record. Slack was also presented East Carolina’s Scholar Athlete Award at the postseason banquet after maintaining a 3.71 grade point average in biology. In addition, she set a single-season record at East Carolina by making 84 percent of her free throws. Slack scored in double figures five times as a sophomore, including 17-point efforts against both Harvard and Pittsburgh. THE LAST TIME AGAINST UC: On Nov. 29, 1986, NKU posted a 64-63 win over Cincinnati in the Communiplex Classic at Cincinnati, Ohio. Cindy Schlarman scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead NKU. Linda Honigford added 16 points, while teammates Amy Falk and Bev Walker each scored eight points. NKU leads the all-time series with Cincinnati, 8-7. NKU’S LAST WIN AGAINST A DIVISION I OPPONENT: On Dec. 22, 2005, NKU posted a 74-55 victory against Loyola (Ill.) in Regents Hall. Karmen Graham scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead NKU, which used a 22-6 run in the second half to pull away and defeat the Ramblers. Karyn Creager keyed the run with six points as NKU knocked off a Division I opponent for the first time since Dec. 8, 1993, when the Norse posted a 79-60 win over Morehead State. Graham used 6-for-8 shooting from the field to key NKU’s win against Loyola. She also connected on a pair of 3-point shots and had two assists. Angela Healy scored 13 points and added eight rebounds for NKU, which shot 52.6 percent from the field. The Norse held Loyola to 37.5 percent shooting from the field and forced 25 turnovers. NKU used a 15-0 run in the first half to turn a 22-20 deficit into a 35-22 lead. Cassie Brannen powered in for a pair of baskets to start the run, and Brittany Winner capped the spurt with a jumper to give NKU a 13-point advantage. NORSE
PLAY BRESCIA ON NOV. 15: NKU begins its regular-season
schedule Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. against Brescia in Regents Hall. The
Norse then hit the road for three consecutive games, beginning with
a Nov. 20 contest at Mercyhurst.
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