Jan. 24, 2000
#10 NKU TO MEET #5 SOUTHERN INDIANA
Norse (15-2) to host USI (14-1) Thursday night
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team is now 15-2 after defeating Saint Joseph’s College, 110-80, on Saturday night in Rensselaer, Ind.
The Norse, ranked No. 10 nationally in this week’s Division II Bulletin ratings, are now 7-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and tied for second place in the GLVC standings with Kentucky Wesleyan. NKU will play host to No. 5 University of Southern Indiana at 7:45 p.m. Thursday night. The Norse will also meet Southern Illinois at Edwardsville at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall.
NKU connected on 17 of 24 three-point attempts Saturday to roll past Saint Joseph’s. The Norse made 10 of 14 three-point attempts in the first half to build a 52-37 lead and coasted to the victory.
NKU has now won seven consecutive games, its longest winning streak since taking eight straight last season. The Norse’s eight-game winning streak last season was snapped by Southern Indiana, 79-74, in Regents Hall on Jan. 23, 1999.
Sophomore forward Craig Sanders scored 28 points to lead NKU past Saint Joseph’s. Sanders, who leads NKU in scoring (13.8 points per game), made seven three-pointers against the Pumas. Sanders has now made 48 of 108 (.444) three-point attempts this season.
Senior forward Scott Marston came off the bench and scored 24 points against Saint Joseph’s. Marston made five three-pointers in that game. He averages 8.7 ppg and has connected on 33 of 77 (.429) three-point attempts.
Junior guard Craig Conley also came off the bench Saturday to add 15 points and eight assists. Conley averages 11.4 ppg, and he is No. 2 on the team with 62 assists. Conley is also shooting 50 percent (21 of 42) from three-point range.
Junior guard Brian Lawhon scored 15 points on Saturday and averages 12.1 ppg. Lawhon has made 42 of 91 (.462) three-point attempts, and he has scored in double figures in five consecutive games. During the past five games, Lawhon has averaged 16.6 ppg. He now has 899 career points and is tied with Cliff Clinton for No. 23 on the Norse’s all-time scoring list.
BOMBS AWAY: NKU continues to be the nation’s most prolific NCAA Division II three-point shooting team, averaging 10 three-pointers made per game. The Norse connected on 17 of 24 three-point attempts against Saint Joseph’s on Saturday and just missed tying the school record of 18, set in 1991 against Oakland City.
Earlier this season, NKU also made 17 three-pointers during a 99-59 victory against Olivet Nazarene. As a team, NKU has made 171 of 404 (.423) three-point attempts.
UNBEATEN AT HOME: NKU owns a 7-0 record in Regents Hall this season, and the Norse have won nine consecutive games at home dating back to last season. The last team to beat NKU in Regents Hall was the University of Indianapolis, which posted an 81-71 victory over the Norse on Feb. 9, 1999.
STEALING THE SHOW: NKU senior point guard Kevin Listerman leads the GLVC in steals (2.35 spg), and he is the Norse’s all-time leader in that category with 269. In addition, Listerman leads NKU with 63 assists, and he recorded a season-high nine assists against Saint Joseph’s on Saturday.
ABOUT SOUTHERN INDIANA: The Screaming Eagles own a 14-1 record after knocking off Kentucky Wesleyan, 93-92, in overtime Saturday night at Evansville, Ind. Southern Indiana is ranked No. 5 in the Division II poll, and the Screaming Eagles could be No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region poll when the ratings are released on Wednesday.
Junior guard Derrick Lyons leads Southern Indiana in scoring at 15.7 ppg. On Saturday night against Kentucky Wesleyan, Lyons hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.
Senior forward Habib Ademi averages 15.5 ppg and 6.2 rebounds per game. Ademi is shooting 58.3 percent from the field. Junior center Kimon Green averages 10.8 ppg, and he leads the GLVC in blocked shots with 40. Freshman forward Billy Harris is scoring 11.5 ppg, and senior guard Brandun Hughes averages 10.6 ppg.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST USI: On Jan. 23, 1999, Junior Bond scored 21 points and Joel Thomas added 12 points as Southern Indiana defeated NKU, 79-74, in Regents Hall. The Screaming Eagles limited NKU to just 5 of 21 three-point shooting in that game.
In the first meeting of last season at Evansville, Ind., Leighton Nash scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as USI knocked off NKU, 97-76. Craig Sanders led NKU with 25 points in that game.
USI has beaten NKU four consecutive times, and the Screaming Eagles own five wins in the last six games against the Norse.