Dec. 26, 2001

NKU TO PLAY AT FERRIS STATE

Norse (8-1) look to bounce back from first loss of the season

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team is 8-1 after suffering a 64-51 loss to Delta State University in the championship game of the Community Recorder Classic on Dec. 21 in Regents Hall. NKU was ranked No. 1 nationally in the Dec. 19 WBCA/NCAA Division II poll, and the next ranking will come out the first week of January. NKU will hit the road for Big Rapids, Mich., to meet Ferris State University this Saturday at 1 p.m. The Norse will resume Great Lakes Valley Conference action on Jan. 3 with a 6:15 game at Quincy (Ill.) University. NKU senior forward Michelle Cottrell became the Norse’s all-time leading scorer on Dec. 21 by scoring 15 points against Delta State. Cottrell, who passed Peggy Vincent (1,883 points) for the NKU record, enters the Ferris State game with 1,886 career points. She needs just 114 points to become the first NKU basketball player to reach the 2,000-point plateau. Cottrell leads the team in scoring (19.6 points per game) and rebounding (11.3 rpg). HOME STREAK ENDS: Going into the Delta State contest on Dec. 21, NKU had won 31 consecutive home games. The Norse had not lost at home since Jan. 8, 2000, when Bellarmine posted a 76-72 win against NKU. 42 DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR COTTRELL: Michelle Cottrell picked up her 42nd career double-double on Dec. 21 with 15 points and 15 rebounds against Delta State. Cottrell, along with teammates Kristin Polosky and Connie Myers, were named to the Community Recorder Classic All-Tournament Team. ICE COLD FROM THE FIELD: NKU held Delta State to just 29.7 percent shooting from the field, but the Norse also struggled to find the range in that game. NKU finished by shooting 25 percent from the field and missed all 14 of its three-point attempts. NKU also converted just 17 of 27 (63 percent) free throws against Delta State and lost the rebounding battle by a 55-51 margin. POLOSKY GETS CONVENTIONAL DOUBLE-DOUBLE: NKU junior forward Kristin Polosky recorded her first career conventional double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds against Delta State. However, in her NKU debut against Union (Ky.) College on Nov. 27, 1999, Polosky had 13 points and 10 steals. Then 10 steals are a career best for Polosky, who averages 8.7 ppg and 6.0 rebounds. INJURY UPDATE: NKU freshman forward Connie Myers, who scored a career-high 16 points and grabbed a career-best nine rebounds against Alabama-Huntsville on Dec. 20, could miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. Myers, who was averaging 5.0 ppg and 3.5 rebounds, injured the knee late in the game against Alabama-Huntsville. ABOUT FERRIS STATE: The Bulldogs enter Saturday with a 5-3 record after defeating Saint Joseph’s College, 77-61, on Dec. 20 at Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris State is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Senior point guard Debbie Killips averages 15.5 ppg to lead the Bulldogs. Killips is also Ferris State's all-time career leader with 256 steals. Sophomore center Bridget Horwitz averages 13.4 ppg and a team-leading 9.4 rebounds. Horwitz is also shooting 52.1 percent from the field. FERRIS STATE TOUGH AT HOME: Ferris State is 22-3 overall in three seasons of play at the new Jim Wink Arena. The Bulldogs are 3-1 this season at home, with the only loss a 76-74 setback against Bellarmine. Lynne Johnson hit a basket at the buzzer in that game to lift Bellarmine. THE LAST TIME AGAINST FERRIS STATE: On Dec. 30, 2000, Michelle Cottrell scored 21 points as NKU defeated Ferris State, 89-72, in Regents Hall. Heather Livingstone added 19 points and four assists for the Norse. Michele Tuchfarber scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds for NKU, which built a 45-30 halftime lead. The Norse led by as many as 22 points in the second half and coasted to the victory. NKU leads the all-time series with Ferris State, 4-0. The Norse are 1-0 in Big Rapids, Mich. GREAT LAKES REGION POLL (as of Dec. 16) 1. Northern Kentucky 2. Northern Michigan 3. Ashland 4. Wayne State (Mich.) 5. Bellarmine 6. Lake Superior State 7. Ferris State 8. Gannon (Pa.) 9. Southern Indiana 10. Findlay