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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Jessie Slack scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team posted a 61-48 victory over Southern Illinois at Edwardsville on Saturday in the Vadalabene Center. Karen Brackman added 13 points and eight rebounds for NKU (4-0), which finished with a 53-35 rebounding advantage. The Norse built a 12-point lead early in the second half, but SIUE (1-8) used a 15-2 run to take a 34-33 advantage with 13:53 remaining in the game. Slack and Brandi Rayburn keyed an 8-1 run that gave NKU a 45-39 edge with 8:25 left. Slack started the run with a pair of free throws, and Rayburn followed by converting two straight jumpers. Slack capped the spurt by hitting a jumper, and the Norse held off their former Great Lakes Valley Conference rivals. SIUE reclassified to NCAA Division I status after last season and is now a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. Rayburn finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Brackman added four assists and three steals for NKU, which holds a 22-8 lead in the all-time series with SIUE. Casse Mogan scored nine points for NKU, while teammate Rachel Lantry grabbed nine rebounds. Cassie Brannen added four points before fouling out. Brannen, a senior post player from Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati, now has 995 career points. NKU, which is ranked No. 1 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, returns home to meet NAIA power Georgetown (Ky.) Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Norse also play host to the Travel America Classic next Friday and Saturday in The Bank of Kentucky Center. NKU takes on North Carolina-Pembroke at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Norse conclude the two-day event Saturday by playing Carson-Newman at 7:30 p.m.
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