HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Brenden Stowers scored 20 points and dished out four assists Thursday night as 12th-ranked Northern Kentucky University defeated 14th-ranked Lewis University, 83-71, in a battle of nationally ranked teams in Regents Hall.
Quentin Smith added 18 points and five rebounds as NKU took sole possession of first place in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse improved to 12-2 overall, 6-1 in the GLVC.
Lewis (11-2 overall, 5-2 in the GLVC) - which had won nine consecutive games entering Thursday - led by as many as eight points in the first half before settling for a 35-34 advantage at the break. The Flyers held NKU to just 36.4 percent shooting from the field in the first half.
NKU used a 15-6 run at the start of the second half to build a 49-41 lead. Mike Kelsey, who scored 17 points, sparked the Norse spurt with a pair of three-pointers.
Bobby St-Preux also hit a three-pointer during the run, and he later brought the Regents Hall crowd to its feet with a monstrous tip-in dunk that extended NKU’s lead to 57-48.
Kelsey’s three-pointer at the 7:10 mark gave the Norse a 72-57 lead, and Lewis would get no closer than nine points the remainder of the game. NKU connected on 60.7 percent of its shots from the field in the second half, and the Norse made all nine of their free throws in the final 20 minutes.
Chris Seabrooks added a double-double for the Norse with 11 points and 10 rebounds. St-Preux finished with nine points, four blocked shots and two assists for NKU, which has won 16 consecutive games in Regents Hall.
Monta McGhee led Lewis with 19 points, while Sidney Holmes and Austin Real each added 12 points. The Flyers have not won in Regents Hall since the 1992-93 season.
Lewis is ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll, while NKU is rated No. 3. The top eight teams in that poll will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament in March.
NKU will play host to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall.
Quentin Smith