HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will play host to a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents this week, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. Thursday game against the University of Southern Indiana in Regents Hall.
NKU will also play host to Kentucky Wesleyan College at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Norse improved to 16-4 overall last Saturday with a 71-63 victory at Quincy University. NKU is 12-3 in the GLVC and in second place in the league standings.
Amy Mobley scored six of her 15 points in the final three minutes Saturday as NKU rallied to defeat Quincy. The Lady Hawks jumped out to a 30-16 lead in the first half as Amber Dvorak scored nine points off the bench. NKU, however, used a 23-10 run to slice the deficit to 40-39 at halftime.
Tracy Grapenthin hit a three-pointer with 5:37 remaining in the game to give Quincy a 61-59 lead, but NKU responded with a 10-2 run to take a 69-63 advantage. Mobley scored six points to key the NKU spurt.
With the score tied at 63-63, Mobley grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled. She made both free throws to give the Norse a 65-63 advantage with 2:56 left in the game.
Quincy did not hit a field goal during the final 5:37 of the game, and the Lady Hawks failed to score during the final 3:15 of the game.
Connie Myers added 12 points for NKU, which held Quincy to just 28.1 percent shooting from the field in the second half. The Norse made 50 percent of their shots from the field after halftime to pull out the road victory.
PERFECT AT HOME: NKU is unbeaten at home this season (10-0) going into Thursday’s game. The Norse are 36-2 in Regents Hall during the past three years.
NKU has won 14 straight at home, with the last defeat a 72-59 setback against Bellarmine on Jan. 19, 2002.
MOBLEY UP TO 14TH ON NKU SCORING LIST: NKU senior forward Amy Mobley now has 1,170 career points and ranks No. 14 on the Norse all-time scoring list. Mobley needs 83 points to pass Brenda Ryan (1,252 points) for 13th place on the list. Mobley averages 14.2 points per game and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per contest.
REBOUNDING MACHINE: NKU junior forward/guard Jessica Brock averaged 11.5 rebounds per game during the Norse’s last road trip. Brock hauled down a career-high 13 rebounds during NKU’s 70-67 loss at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville last Thursday. She then came back with 10 rebounds in the Norse’s 71-63 win at Quincy.
For the season, Brock averages 6.3 ppg, and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
POLOSKY PASSES 800 CAREER POINTS: NKU senior forward Kristin Polosky (9.5 ppg) has now scored 814 career points. NKU’s three seniors - Polosky, Amy Mobley and Bridget Flanagan (1,124 career points) - enter Thursday’s game having combined for 3,108 career points during the past four years.
Flanagan averages 14.6 ppg going into Thursday’s contest against Southern Indiana.
ABOUT SOUTHERN INDIANA: The Lady Eagles are 7-14 overall, 5-9 in the GLVC. Southern Indiana is currently in eighth place in the GLVC standings.
Southern Indiana is led by senior forward Africa Sherrod, who averages 16.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg. Sherrod is also shooting 47.1 percent from the field and has 16 blocked shots. Junior forward Shajuan Lindsey averages 13.2 ppg and leads the team with 26 blocked shots.
Southern Indiana is 1-7 on the road this season.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST SOUTHERN INDIANA: Earlier this season on Jan. 18, Bridget Flanagan scored a career-high 31 points as NKU posted a 98-82 win over Southern Indiana at the PAC Arena. Flanagan hit seven three-point shots as NKU made a school-record 15 three-pointers.
The previous NKU team record for three-pointers made in a game was 11, which had been done four times by the Norse. The 15 three-pointers also tied a GLVC single-game record, which was set by Bellarmine on Jan. 11, 1996.
Amy Mobley added 24 points, eight assists and five rebounds for the Norse. Sharell Snardon came off the bench and scored 12 points for the Norse, who shot 59.3 percent from the field and made 15 of 25 (60 percent) from three-point range. NKU broke open a close game in the second half by shooting 64.3 percent from the field.
Flanagan scored 19 points in the second half, and she made five three-point shots after halftime. She hit a trio of three-pointers to key a 20-6 run midway through the second half as NKU built a 93-70 lead.
LAST SEASON IN REGENTS HALL: On Dec. 8, 2001, Bridget Flanagan scored 25 points as NKU defeated Southern Indiana, 81-71. Flanagan made seven three-pointers in that game to lead the Norse.
Michelle Cottrell added 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Norse, who shot 52.6 percent from the field. NKU held a 38-37 halftime lead and extended the advantage to 61-53 with 8:34 remaining in the game when Flanagan made a short jumper.
USI, however, responded with an 11-2 run to take a 64-63 lead when Jasmine Moore hit a jump shot.
Cottrell gave NKU the lead for good at the 5:53 mark with a layup, and Flanagan sealed the victory by making her seventh three-pointer with 1:02 left to give NKU a 76-68 lead.
Kristin Polosky added 16 points for NKU, which connected on 62.5 percent of its shots from the field in the second half. The Norse won the rebounding battle by a 41-37 margin.
ABOUT KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: The Panthers are 5-16 after dropping a 70-68 decision at Southern Indiana last Saturday. Kentucky Wesleyan is 2-12 in the GLVC.
Senior forward Leslie Warren leads the Panthers in scoring at 12.1 ppg, and she also has made 36 of 112 three-point attempts. Freshman guard Holly Mills is scoring 11.5 ppg and has connected on 24 of 69 three-point attempts.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: Earlier this season on Dec. 5, Connie Myers scored 20 points as NKU defeated Kentucky Wesleyan, 79-62, in the Owensboro Sportscenter.
Bridget Flanagan added 17 points and made four three-point field goals for the Norse. Myers - who made 9 of 10 shots from the field - scored 12 points in the first half as NKU built a 36-23 lead. The Norse held Kentucky Wesleyan to 36 percent shooting from the field during the first half and led by as many as 17 points (34-17) before intermission.
Amy Mobley finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for NKU, while teammate Jessica Brock added 10 points off the bench. The Norse shot 48.2 percent from the field and forced Kentucky Wesleyan into 24 turnovers.
NKU now leads the all-time series with Kentucky Wesleyan, 38-3, and the Norse own 10 consecutive victories against the Panthers.
Jessica Brock