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Dec. 29, 2000 |
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NKU DEFEATS WESTMINSTER, 105-95 |
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Norse (11-0) advance to Porreco Cup championship game |
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ERIE, Pa. - Carl Mitchell scored 26 points Friday night as the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team defeated Westminster (Pa.) College, 105-95, in the first round of the Porreco Cup Tournament at Gannon University. Adam Norwell added 21 points as NKU improved to 11-0. The Norse, who will meet Gannon at 8 p.m. Saturday in the championship game, are ranked No. 4 nationally in the Division II poll. NKU built a 21-point lead early in the first half, but Westminster (8-4) used a 26-12 run to close the margin to 53-46 at halftime. The Titans eventually pulled to within one point (77-76) with 10 minutes left in the game, but NKU sealed the victory with a 23-13 run. NKU junior guard/forward Craig Sanders, a graduate of McNicholas High School in Cincinnati, scored his 1,000th career point Friday night. Sanders, who had eight points Friday, is the 21st player in Norse men’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Craig Conley added 18 points and 10 assists, and Todd Clark scored 17 points for the Norse. NKU’s 11-0 start is the best since the 1996-97 season, when the Norse began the year with 12 consecutive victories. The streak was snapped at Owensboro, Ky., when Kentucky Wesleyan posted a 75-74 victory against the Norse. |