Nov. 28, 2000

NKU TO HOST LEWIS THIS THURSDAY

Norse (6-0) now ranked No. 4 nationally in Division II

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team improved to 6-0 this past Saturday with a 64-57 win at Thomas More College. The Norse rallied from a seven-point deficit in the first half to remain unbeaten and record their 15th straight victory in the series against the Saints. NKU will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play this Thursday night with a 7:45 p.m. game against Lewis University (1-3) in Regents Hall. The Norse will also play host to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday. Junior guard/forward Craig Sanders scored 16 points and made a trio of three-point shots Saturday to key NKU’s win against Thomas More. Sanders leads the Norse in scoring (12.5 points per game) and three-pointers made (17). He now has 936 career points. REGENTS HALL STREAK: NKU enters Thursday’s contest against Lewis with an 18-game winning streak in Regents Hall. The Norse were unbeaten (14-0) last season at home. NKU is 2-0 this season in Regents Hall. 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. NATIONAL RANKINGS: NKU moved up to No. 4 in this week’s Division II Bulletin national poll. Florida Southern is No. 1, followed by GLVC members Kentucky Wesleyan (No. 2) and Southern Indiana (No. 3). The GLVC has three of the top four teams in the nation, according to the Division II Bulletin poll. MITCHELL’S BOARDS: NKU junior forward Carl Mitchell grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds Saturday night against Thomas More. Mitchell averages a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game, and he is No. 2 on the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg). He has also made 45.3 percent of his shots from the field. McKINLEY STEPS UP: NKU senior guard/forward Jeff McKinley was a late addition to the NKU lineup Saturday against Thomas More in place of injured guard Brian Lawhon. McKinley came through with nine points in his first start with the Norse. MOVING UP THE LIST: Senior guard Craig Conley now has 1,135 career points and ranks No. 15 all-time in Norse history in scoring. Senior guard Brian Lawhon - who is questionable for Thursday’s game against Lewis due to a hand injury - has scored 1,064 career points and ranks No. 19 on the NKU career scoring list. ABOUT LEWIS: The Flyers enter Thursday’s GLVC opener against NKU with a 1-3 record after dropping a 77-70 decision at Grand Valley State on Saturday. Lewis squandered a 22-point lead (38-16) in the first half and lost in the final minutes. The Flyers shot 65.5 percent in the first half against Grand Valley State, but they managed to make just 37 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes as the Lakers rallied to post the win. Lewis is led by junior guard Sammy Bacino, who averages 16.0 ppg. Bacino led Lewis with 20 points against Grand Valley State. Senior guard Josh Virostko averages 14.5 ppg and has made 20 of 41 three-point attempts. Freshman forward Austin Real averages 10.5 ppg and is shooting 61.5 percent from the field. Earlier this season, Lewis met NCAA Division I power DePaul and held a 10-point halftime lead against the Blue Demons. DePaul, however, rallied and posted an 87-80 win against Lewis. THE LAST TIME AGAINST LEWIS: NKU posted a 78-67 win against Lewis on Feb. 5, 2000, in Regents Hall. Scott Marston scored 18 points - including a trio of three-point shots - as the Norse defeated the Flyers. Lewis was led by Harley Piercy’s 17 points. In their first meeting last season at Romeoville, Ill., Tarrie Monroe scored 21 points and had eight rebounds as Lewis handed NKU a 75-68 loss. REGENTS HALL STREAK AGAINST LEWIS: NKU has beaten Lewis seven consecutive times in Regents Hall. The last time Lewis defeated NKU in Regents Hall was during the 1992-93 season, when the Flyers posted a 97-88 victory over the Norse.