HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Quentin Smith scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Thursday night as Northern Kentucky University defeated Saint Joseph’s College, 91-69, in Regents Hall.
Brenden Stowers added 18 points and a career-high 10 assists as NKU improved to 16-3 overall, 10-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse - ranked No. 12 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll - are in sole possession of first place in the GLVC.
NKU made 14 of 27 three-point attempts and shot 55.4 percent from the field. The Norse built a 48-25 halftime lead as Stowers scored 12 points and dished out four assists, and NKU held Saint Joseph’s to 33.3 percent shooting from the field in the first half.
Smith scored 15 points in the second half as NKU led by as many as 30 points. Bobby St-Preux added 16 points and five rebounds for NKU, which has won 19 consecutive games in Regents Hall.
The 19-game home win streak ranks No. 4 nationally in NCAA Division II men’s basketball. The Norse - now 10-0 at home this season - have not lost in Regents Hall since Dec. 6, 2001, when Kentucky Wesleyan College posted a 64-62 win over NKU.
Adam Howell hit four three-point shots and finished with 12 points for NKU, while teammate Mike Kelsey added 10 points. The Norse won the rebounding battle by a 40-35 margin and limited the Pumas to 3 of 16 shooting from three-point range.
NKU held Saint Joseph’s center Corey Seegers - who entered Thursday averaging 19.2 points per game - to just four points in 21 minutes of action. Jamie Holden led the Pumas with 15 points.
Kentucky Wesleyan (16-2 overall, 9-2 GLVC), which defeated Lewis University on Thursday night, trails NKU by one-half game in the GLVC standings.
NKU - ranked No. 3 in the latest NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll - will play host to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall.
Quentin Smith