Jan. 1, 2002

NKU HITS ROAD FOR QUINCY, SIUE

Norse face key GLVC road games this week

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team improved to 7-4 last Saturday with a 94-75 non-conference win over Indiana University-Southeast in Regents Hall. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for NKU, which dropped a pair of road games to Pfeiffer (N.C.) University and Wingate (N.C.) University prior to the Christmas break. The Norse will return to the Great Lakes Valley Conference portion of the schedule this Thursday with an 8:30 p.m. game at Quincy (Ill.) University. NKU, which is 3-2 in the GLVC, also will travel to Edwardsville, Ill., on Saturday for a 4:15 p.m. contest against Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Both games will be broadcast live on WTSJ (AM 1050). Carl Mitchell scored 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added three blocked shots Saturday to lead NKU past IU-Southeast. Bobby St-Preux also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. NKU built a 57-35 halftime lead by making 11 of 20 three-point attempts. The Norse finished 17 of 35 from three-point range and won the rebounding battle by a 47-27 margin. Brenden Stowers added 17 points and eight assists for NKU, which is now 9-0 all-time against Indiana-Southeast. Craig Sanders finished with 18 points against IU-Southeast and has now scored in double figures in 31 consecutive games. The NKU record for consecutive games in double figures is 39, set by Brady Jackson. SANDERS MOVES CLOSER TO SCORING RECORD: Sanders is also closing in on the NKU all-time scoring record of 1,980 points, which is currently held Brady Jackson. Sanders enters Thursday’s game with 1,649 points and is No. 6 on the all-time list. He needs 332 points to break the record. Sanders also enters Thursday’s game against Quincy with 292 career three-point field goals. The NKU record for career three-point field goals is 303, which is held by Paul Cluxton. BLOCK PARTY: NKU has 47 blocked shots as a team this season, compared to just 18 by the opposition. Carl Mitchell leads NKU with 26 blocks, while Bobby St-Preux and Darnell Fields both have six blocks. ABOUT QUINCY: The Hawks are 4-7 after defeating Mobile University, 89-76, on Dec. 29 . Quincy is 1-4 in the GLVC. Quincy is led by junior center Brian McNeil, who averages 19.1 ppg and 8.4 rebounds per contest. McNeil is also shooting 58.5 percent from the field and leads Quincy with 15 blocked shots. Junior forward Jackson Jones averages 15.6 ppg and 7.1 rebounds. Jones also is shooting 51.7 percent from the field. THE LAST TIME AGAINST QUINCY: On Feb. 24, 2001, Craig Conley scored 21 points and collected 11 assists as NKU defeated Quincy, 110-91, in Regents Hall. Brian Lawhon added 22 points for NKU, which made 17 of 34 three-point attempts and shot 52.8 percent from the field. Todd Clark grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds for the Norse, and Craig Sanders added 16 points. NKU built a 56-36 halftime lead by shooting 57.6 percent from the field in the first half. The Norse also made 10 of 17 three-point attempts in the first half. In their first meeting of the season at Quincy, Ill., Carl Mitchell scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead NKU to a 76-64 win. Craig Sanders added 17 points for the Norse, who connected on 10 of 27 three-point attempts. Brian Lawhon scored 12 points on four three-point shots. NKU leads the series with Quincy, 11-1. The Norse’s only loss to the Hawks came during the 1998-99 season, when Quincy rallied for an 86-83 overtime victory at Quincy, Ill. NKU is 4-1 all-time in Pepsi Arena. NKU’S STREAK AGAINST SIUE: NKU owns 11 consecutive victories against SIUE going into Saturday’s game. NKU has not lost to SIUE since the 1991-92 season, when the Cougars posted a 97-90 win against the Norse in Edwardsville, Ill. Since joining the GLVC, SIUE has gone 0-10 against NKU. The Norse are 4-0 against SIUE in the Vadalabene Center since the Cougars joined the GLVC. NKU is 6-0 against SIUE in Regents Hall since the Cougars started play in the GLVC. NKU leads the all-time series with SIUE, 12-4.