Jan. 10, 2000

NKU TO HOST QUINCY, UM-ST. LOUIS THIS WEEK

Norse (11-2) square off against Quincy on Thursday

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team improved to 11-2 on Saturday with a 96-83 victory against Bellarmine College in Regents Hall. The Norse, ranked No. 12 nationally in this week’s Division II Bulletin ratings, are now 3-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

NKU will host GLVC games against Quincy University (Thursday at 7:45 p.m.) and the University of Missouri-St. Louis (3:15 p.m. Saturday) this week. Quincy is 4-7 overall, 1-4 in the GLVC. UMSL is 7-3 overall, 3-2 in the GLVC.

Junior guard Brian Lawhon scored a game-high 21 points on Saturday to lead NKU past Bellarmine. The Norse rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half by shooting 69 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. Lawhon made 7 of 8 shots from the field, including all four of his three-point attempts.

For the season, Lawhon averages 11.0 points per game, and he has made 28 of 69 (.406) three-point attempts. Prior to his 21-point performance on Saturday, Lawhon had not scored in double figures since Dec. 4.

Sophomore forward Craig Sanders continues to lead NKU in scoring (14.7 ppg) and three-pointers made (41). Sanders scored 18 points in the victory against Bellarmine.

BENCH STRENGTH: NKU continues to get solid production from its bench, and the Norse’s depth played a major role in Saturday’s comeback win against Bellarmine. Junior guard Craig Conley came off the bench Saturday and scored 14 points. Conley averages 10.2 ppg and has dished out 42 assists. Conley has also made 56.3 percent of his three-point attempts this season.

Junior forward Adam Norwell also came off the bench Saturday and scored eight of his 10 points in the second half. Norwell averages 7.8 ppg and 4.3 rebounds. He is also shooting 51.6 percent from the field.

CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER POINTS: Junior guards Brian Lawhon and Craig Conley are both closing in on 1,000 career points at NKU. Ironically, Lawhon and Conley have both scored 837 career points going into Thursday night’s game against Quincy. They are tied for 27th place on NKU’s all-time scoring list.

NKU DROPS TO 12TH IN NATIONAL POLL: The new Division II Bulletin national rankings were released on Monday, and NKU dropped from No. 6 to No. 12. The drop can be attributed to NKU’s loss to Missouri Western State on Dec. 20 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, because a poll had not been released since mid-December.

STILL NO. 1 IN THE GLVC: NKU remained No. 1 in team three-point shooting in the GLVC this week with a percentage of .409.

ABOUT QUINCY: The Hawks are 4-7 overall (1-4 in the GLVC) after dropping a 96-93 overtime decision at No. 6 Southern Indiana on Saturday. Quincy had an 81-78 lead in the final seconds of regulation, but a three-pointer by USI’s Brandun Hughes sent the game into overtime and the Eagles pulled out the victory.

Quincy is led by senior forward Sherod Dent, a Division I transfer from Missouri-Kansas City who averages 12.6 ppg. Dent scored 25 points against USI on Saturday and made 11 of 15 shots from the field. Dent is shooting 51.8 percent from the field, and he averages 5.3 rebounds per game.

Freshman center Brian McNeil averages 11.5 ppg and 6.1 rebounds. McNeil is shooting 52.7 percent from the field. Junior guard Lampton Johnson is scoring 11.5 ppg, and he leads the team with 41 assists.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST QUINCY: On Feb. 18, 1999, at Quincy, Ill., Quincy rallied to defeat NKU for the first time in school history, 86-83 in overtime.

Prior to that game, NKU owned a 7-0 record against Quincy. Curtis Wills scored 21 points to lead the Hawks, who forced overtime on a desperation three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation by Tyreese Stewart.

In the first meeting of last season, NKU posted an 84-65 win against Quincy in Regents Hall. Craig Sanders scored 26 points to lead NKU in that game.