HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team returns home to Regents Hall this week to host a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference games, and the Norse will meet the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at 7:45 p.m. Thursday.
NKU, 11-8 overall, 4-5 in the GLVC, will also play host to Saint Joseph’s College at 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The Norse have dropped four of their past five games and are now in sixth place in the GLVC standings.
NKU suffered its second straight road setback last Saturday, falling to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville by an 81-75 score. Two nights earlier, NKU dropped a 68-57 decision at Quincy University.
In the loss at SIUE, NKU rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half to narrow the margin to 75-73 with 22 seconds left when Jordan Stowers hit a three-point shot. SIUE’s Ron Jones, however, sealed the win for the Cougars by making six straight free throws in the final 20 seconds.
Jones finished with 21 points and hit all 10 of his free throw attempts.
Jesse Rupe led NKU with 25 points and nine rebounds, while teammate Steve Purdon added 16 points. Mike Kelsey finished with 10 points for the Norse, who made just 36.4 percent of their shots from the field.
SIUE ENDS NKU STREAK: Before Saturday, NKU owned 15 straight wins against SIUE. NKU had 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 had gone 0-14 against NKU prior to Saturday’s victory.
KELSEY SIX SHY OF 1,000 POINTS: NKU junior guard Mike Kelsey enters Thursday with 994 career points, and he is looking to become the 23rd player in Norse history to join the 1,000-point club. Kelsey leads NKU in scoring at 17.8 points per game (No. 5 in the GLVC), and he has made 55-of-135 three-point attempts.
RUPE, ROWLAND AMONG GLVC LEADERS: NKU senior center Jesse Rupe ranks 12th in the GLVC in scoring at 14.9 ppg, and he is No. 7 in rebounding at 7.2 rpg.
Norse junior point guard Sean Rowland ranks No. 2 in the GLVC in assists per game at 5.0 apg. Rowland ranks No. 1 in the GLVC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.79.
NKU NINTH IN REGION POLL: NKU is ranked No. 9 in this week’s NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll. The top eight teams in the Great Lakes Region poll will qualify for the NCAA Division II Tournament in March.
ABOUT WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE: The Rangers enter Thursday with a 6-9 overall record, including a 2-6 slate in the GLVC. Wisconsin-Parkside is also 1-4 on the road this season.
Senior guard Dean Pogodzinski averages 15.7 ppg to lead Wisconsin-Parkside. Senior center Glen Barlow is scoring 10.9 ppg and is the team's top rebounder at 6.0 rpg.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE: Earlier this season on Dec. 6, Brian Lewin’s layup with 27 seconds remaining in the game gave NKU an 80-79 victory over Wisconsin-Parkside at Kenosha, Wis.
Wisconsin-Parkside built a 15-point lead early in the second half, but NKU used 10-of-20 shooting from three-point range to rally for the win. With the Rangers leading by a 67-57 score, NKU used an 11-2 run to close the gap to 69-68. Adam Howell scored nine of his 14 second-half points during the NKU run by making a trio of three-point baskets.
In the closing minutes, Glen Barlow converted a free throw to give Wisconsin-Parkside a 79-78 advantage. The Rangers still owned that lead and the ball with less than a minute remaining, but Jerome King missed a jump shot that was rebounded by Lewin.
Sean Rowland hurried the ball down the floor, and he spotted Lewin wide open underneath the basket. Lewin converted the layup to give NKU an 80-79 lead with 27 seconds remaining.
Wisconsin-Parkside had a chance to win in the final seconds, but Dean Pogodzinski’s jumper in the lane was off target. It was NKU’s fourth straight win against Wisconsin-Parkside during the past two seasons. Mike Kelsey led the Norse with 22 points.
REGENTS HALL STREAK AGAINST UWP: Wisconsin-Parkside is 0-8 all-time in Regents Hall. A year ago, NKU pulled out a 76-75 win against the Rangers in Regents Hall.
ABOUT SAINT JOSEPH’S: The Pumas own a 7-9 overall record, 3-6 in the GLVC. Saint Joseph’s features 6-foot-8 center Corey Seegers, who averages 20.5 ppg (No. 2 in the GLVC) and 6.2 rebounds per game.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST SAINT JOSEPH’S: On Jan. 30, 2003, Quentin Smith scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as NKU defeated Saint Joseph’s, 91-69, in Regents Hall.
Brenden Stowers added 18 points and a career-high 10 assists as 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.
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 the contest averaging 19.2 points per game - to just four points in 21 minutes of action. Jamie Holden led the Pumas with 15 points.
|
Mike Kelsey |