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Dec. 3, 2001 |
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NKU TO HOST NO. 1 KWC ON THURSDAY |
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Norse (5-1) ranked No. 17 nationally in Division II poll |
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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team owns a 5-1 overall record after defeating the University of Indianapolis, 76-53, last Thursday night in Regents Hall. The Norse are 2-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and ranked No. 17 nationally in the latest NCAA Division II poll. NKU will play host to defending NCAA Division II national champion Kentucky Wesleyan College at 7:45 p.m. this Thursday night in Regents Hall. Kentucky Wesleyan is unbeaten (5-0) and ranked No. 1 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. The NKU/Kentucky Wesleyan game will be televised live this Thursday on ICN-6 at 7:45 p.m. The game can also be heard on WTSJ (1050 AM). Carl Mitchell scored 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots last Thursday to lead NKU past Indianapolis. Brenden Stowers added 13 points and eight rebounds as the Norse defeated the Greyhounds for the sixth straight time. Bobby St-Preux and Craig Sanders also scored in double figures for NKU with 12 points apiece. STOWERS POWERS NKU OFFENSE: NKU junior point guard Brenden Stowers has emerged as one of the GLVC’s top backcourt players this season. Stowers is averaging 13.2 points per game, and he has made 65 percent of his shots from the field. He also has made 53.8 percent of his three-point shots and leads NKU with 10 steals. Stowers enters Thursday having scored in double figures in five consecutive games. TOUGH AT HOME: NKU has now won 32 of its last 33 home games. The only loss during that period was a 101-82 setback to Saint Joseph’s College on Feb. 8, 2001. NORSE CONTINUE TO BE ON TARGET: NKU is shooting 52.5 percent from the field as a team, and the Norse feature nine players who have made at least 50 percent of their shots from the field. THE STREAK CONTINUES FOR SANDERS: NKU’s Craig Sanders has now scored in double figures in 26 consecutive games dating back to last season. The last time Sanders was held below double figures was Jan. 6, 2001, during a 90-75 loss at Southern Indiana. The NKU record for consecutive games in double figures is 39, set by Brady Jackson. SANDERS MOVES UP SCORING LIST: Craig Sanders enters Thursday’s game against Kentucky Wesleyan with 1,557 career points, which ranks No. 6 in Norse history. Sanders needs 424 points to pass Brady Jackson (1,980 points) as NKU’s all-time leading scorer. ABOUT KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: The Panthers are 5-0 after posting an 88-67 win over Saint Joseph’s College last Saturday in Owensboro, Ky. Kentucky Wesleyan is 4-0 in the GLVC and ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NCAA Division II poll. Kentucky Wesleyan is led by senior forward Tyrus Boswell, a transfer from Mississippi State University who averages 18.6 ppg and 9.6 rebounds per game. Boswell is shooting 65 percent from the field and has a team-leading 11 blocked shots. Sophomore guard Bobby Zuerner averages 16.8 ppg and has made 18 of 32 three-point attempts. Senior forward Ronald Evans is scoring 15.8 ppg and averages 7.2 rpg. THE LAST TIME AGAINST KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: NKU and Kentucky Wesleyan met four times last season, and the Panthers emerged victorious in three of those games. The final meeting took place on March 10 in Owensboro, Ky., in the NCAA II Great Lakes Region championship game, where Kentucky Wesleyan edged the Norse, 59-57. Lorico Duncan scored 20 points and hit two clutch free throws in the closing seconds to lift the Panthers over the Norse. THE LAST TIME IN REGENTS HALL: In their meeting at Highland Heights, Ky., last season, NKU posted a 106-86 win over Kentucky Wesleyan in Regents Hall. Todd Clark scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead NKU in that game. Clark scored 11 points in the first half as NKU built a 51-29 lead. Craig Sanders scored 17 of his 20 points after halftime, including a trio of three-pointers in the opening four minutes of the second half. NKU built a 77-48 lead midway through the second half and coasted to the win. SOUTHERN INDIANA NEXT: NKU will play host to the University of Southern Indiana at 7:45 p.m. Saturday night in Regents Hall. That game will also be televised live on ICN-6. |