Nov. 22, 2000

NKU MEETS THOMAS MORE ON SATURDAY

Norse travel to Crestview Hills to meet Division III Saints

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team will travel to Crestview Hills, Ky., this Saturday night to play Thomas More College at 7:30 p.m. in the Connor Convocation Center. NKU is 5-0 after defeating California (Pa.) University, 77-65, last Saturday night in the championship game of the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. The Norse are ranked No. 6 nationally in the Division II poll. Senior guard Craig Conley scored 22 points against California (Pa.) to earn tournament most valuable player honors for the Norse. Conley also had six assists and no turnovers in 36 minutes on Saturday. For the season, Conley averages 10.0 points per game. He leads NKU with 21 assists and has made 85.7 percent of his free throws. Junior forward Carl Mitchell leads NKU in both scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.0 rpg). He also has made 8 of 17 three-point attempts (47.1 percent). Junior guard/forward Craig Sanders averages 11.8 ppg and leads NKU in three-pointers made with 14. Sanders scored 23 points in the Norse's 108-60 win over Indiana-Southeast on Friday by making all eight of his field goal attempts, including six three-pointers. Sanders was also named to the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic All-Tournament Team. CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS: NKU junior guard/forward Craig Sanders now has scored 920 career points and is nearing the NKU 1,000-point club. Two current NKU players - Craig Conley (1,126) and Brian Lawhon (1,064) - already have scored more than 1,000 career points at NKU. Conley ranks No. 15 all-time in Norse history with the 1,126 career points. Lawhon ranks No. 19 on the NKU career scoring list with 1,064 points. STOWERS EARNS ANOTHER AWARD: NKU sophomore guard Brenden Stowers was named the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic’s best defensive player after picking up six steals and two blocked shots during the tournament. Stowers also earned All-Tournament honors at the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic the previous week. ABOUT THOMAS MORE: The Saints are 0-2 after dropping a 63-60 decision to Nazareth in the consolation game of the Buffalo State Classic on Saturday. Kyle Booth and Corey Grace scored 15 points each to lead Thomas More in that game. THE LAST TIME AGAINST THOMAS MORE: On Nov. 19, 1999, in the first round of the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic, Craig Sanders and Brian Lawhon both scored 15 points as NKU defeated Thomas More, 120-66, in Regents Hall. It was the largest margin of victory (+54) in Norse men’s basketball history. Seven players scored in double figures for NKU, which made .548 percent of its shots from the field. The Norse made 12 of 32 three-point shots and won the rebounding battle by a 51-40 margin. Brenden Stowers came off the bench and scored 14 points for NKU, and Jesse Rupe added 13 points and nine rebounds in his first collegiate game. Billy Brewster added 11 points for the Norse, and Zach Wieber scored 10 points. Craig Conley scored 11 points and dished out eight assists for the Norse. LONG STREAK AGAINST TMC: NKU leads the all-time series with Thomas More, 23-5, and the Norse own 14 consecutive victories against the Saints after last season’s 120-66 win. NKU has not lost to the Saints since the 1980-81 season, when Thomas More defeated the Norse by a 61-52 score in Regents Hall. NKU has not played a road game at Thomas More since the 1991-92 season, when the Norse posted a 103-72 win against the Saints at the Connor Convocation Center. GLVC OPENER SET FOR NOV. 30: NKU will begin Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Thursday, Nov. 30, when Lewis University visits Regents Hall for a 7:45 p.m. tipoff against the Norse. The NKU women's basketball team will also meet Lewis that evening at 5:30 p.m. NKU will also play host to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, in Regents Hall. The NKU women also play Wisconsin-Parkside on Dec. 2, with the tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m.