HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will play host to Brescia (Ky.) University at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Regents Hall in a non-Great Lakes Valley Conference game.
The Norse - 18-4 overall - will also meet GLVC leader University of Indianapolis at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall in a battle for first place in the league standings. NKU is 14-3 in the GLVC, while Indianapolis is 14-2. The Greyhounds will visit Bellarmine University on Thursday before playing NKU on Saturday.
If NKU defeats Indianapolis, the Norse could possibly wrap up the No. 1 seed in the GLVC Tournament by winning their final two games of the season at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (Feb. 27) and Lewis University (March 1).
Quincy University is currently in third place in the GLVC standings and will likely be the tie-breaker in the event NKU and Indianapolis finish tied in the GLVC. NKU swept Quincy this year, while Indianapolis and the Lady Hawks split the season series.
NKU DEFEATS KWC FOR 11TH STRAIGHT TIME: Amy Mobley scored 19 points and dished out four assists Saturday as NKU defeated Kentucky Wesleyan College, 73-62, in Regents Hall.
Bridget Flanagan and Connie Myers each added 15 points for NKU, which remained unbeaten at home this season (12-0). The Norse are 38-2 in Regents Hall during the past three years.
NKU has won 16 straight at home, with the last defeat a 72-59 setback against Bellarmine on Jan. 19, 2002. The Norse shot 51.8 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle by a 41-28 margin.
Kristin Polosky finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists for NKU, which has beaten Kentucky Wesleyan 11 consecutive times.
ON THE BOARDS: NKU junior forward Jessica Brock finished with 11 rebounds against Kentucky Wesleyan last Saturday, marking the third time in the past four games she has been in double figures in that category.
During her past four games, Brock has averaged 10.3 rebounds per contest. For the season, she averages 5.4 rebounds per game.
As a team, NKU ranks No. 1 in the GLVC in rebound margin at +7.3 rpg.
MOBLEY, MYERS CONTINUE STREAKS: Amy Mobley and Connie Myers both enter Wednesday’s contest with Brescia having scored in double figures in six straight games. Mobley averages 14.5 ppg, and Myers averages 13.6 ppg.
POLOSKY NO. 8 IN ASSISTS: NKU senior forward Kristin Polosky ranks No. 8 in the GLVC in assists per game at 4.27 apg. Norse senior forward Amy Mobley is No. 9 in the GLVC in assists with an average of 4.23 apg.
The Norse are No. 1 as a team in the GLVC in assists with an average of 17.91 apg.
NKU FROM LONG RANGE: The Norse rank No. 1 in the GLVC in three-pointers made with an average of 6.82 per game. NKU has made 150 three-pointers this season.
NKU senior guard Bridget Flanagan, who averages 15.0 ppg, has made 62 of 144 three-point attempts. She ranks No. 1 in the GLVC in three-pointers made per game at 2.82.
ABOUT BRESCIA: The Lady Bearcats are 19-8 after posting a 79-63 win over Oakland City University on Saturday. Brescia was ranked No. 15 nationally in the NAIA poll last week.
Brescia features junior forward Kristie Ballard, who averages 12 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Jennifer Flener averages 11 points and 5.5 rebounds.
NKU and Brescia have never met in women’s basketball.
ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS: Indianapolis (21-2) has won nine straight games and 19 of its last 20. The Greyhounds are off to their best-ever start and recorded their fifth 20-win season with a 56-49 win over Missouri-St. Louis last Thursday.
Senior forward Kristen Lowry averages 14.0 ppg and 8.2 rpg to lead Indianapolis. Lowry has five double-doubles in her last seven outings. She had a season-high 23 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in Saturday’s 74-66 win over Southern Indiana.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST INDIANAPOLIS: Earlier this season on Jan. 2, Kristen Lowry scored 22 points as Indianapolis defeated NKU, 69-50, at Nicoson Hall. Erin Moran added 14 points and four assists for Indianapolis, which snapped a 14-game losing streak against NKU.
Amy Wisser scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Greyhounds beat NKU for the first time since the 1995-96 season. The Greyhounds forced NKU into 25 turnovers and won the rebounding battle by a 36-28 margin. Indianapolis held a 32-29 halftime lead as Lowry scored 11 points.
NKU tied the game at 32-32 to begin the second half when Connie Myers hit a layup while being fouled and then converted the free throw. Indianapolis, however, used a 21-7 run to build a 53-39 lead with 10:17 remaining on a jumper by Emily Hammes.
Lowry scored nine points to key the run for Indianapolis, which held NKU scoreless for nearly four minutes during that spurt. NKU made just 38.9 percent of its shots from the field in the second half. The Norse also converted just 8 of 17 free throws for the game.
Elizabeth Burrows led NKU with 12 points, and Myers added 10 points for the Norse.
REGENTS HALL STREAK AGAINST INDIANAPOLIS: The Norse have not lost to Indianapolis in Regents Hall since the 1992-93 season, when the Greyhounds defeated NKU, 72-69. NKU owns nine straight home wins against Indianapolis since that loss.
GLVC TOURNAMENT APPROACHES: The 2003 GLVC Tournament will be held March 5-8 at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Ind. The top eight teams in the GLVC standings will qualify for the event, with the women’s games scheduled to begin on March 5.
The game times for March 5 will be 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. (all times eastern). The pairings will be announced on March 2.
Connie Myers