Jan. 15, 2001

NORSE TO HOST GLVC LEADER BELLARMINE

NKU (12-1) takes on Bellarmine (12-1) in GLVC showdown Thursday

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team is 12-1 after defeating Saint Joseph’s College, 82-61, Saturday at Rensselaer, Ind. NKU is 6-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and in second place. NKU will take on GLVC leader Bellarmine University at 5:30 p.m. Thursday night in Regents Hall. The Norse will also play host to Kentucky Wesleyan College at 1 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall. Michelle Cottrell scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds Saturday to lead the Norse. Cottrell scored 14 points during the first half as NKU jumped out to a 45-20 lead. The Norse held Saint Joseph’s to 18.5 percent shooting from the field during the first half and never trailed. IN THE GLVC: NKU has gone 51-4 in its last 55 games against GLVC opponents after Saturday’s win at Saint Joseph’s. COTTRELL NOW NO. 6 IN CAREER SCORING: NKU junior forward Michelle Cottrell now ranks No. 6 on the Norse’s all-time scoring list with 1,429 career points. Cottrell has posted four double-doubles this season, and she has 30 double-doubles in her career. Cottrell also ranks No. 9 in career rebounds at NKU with 721, and she needs just five against Bellarmine this Thursday to move past Cindy Schlarman (725 career rebounds) into eighth place. Nancy Dickman currently ranks No. 7 in Norse history with 731 career rebounds. COTTRELL EARNS GLVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR: Cottrell was named GLVC Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 19.5 points and 12.5 rebounds last week. She also made 15 of 23 (65.2 percent) shots from the field as the Norse won a pair of GLVC road games. INJURY UPDATE: NKU senior guard Michele Tuchfarber sat out both road games last week with a sprained left ankle and is questionable for this Thursday’s contest with Bellarmine. Tuchfarber, who has scored 1,369 career points, is NKU’s all-time career leader in three-pointers made with 143. She averages 12.9 points per game this season. FLANAGAN PROVIDES OFFENSIVE SPARK: NKU sophomore guard Bridget Flanagan started in place of Tuchfarber twice last week and averaged 12.5 points per game in a pair of Norse victories. Flanagan tied her career high with 14 points during an 80-65 win at IPFW last Thursday, and she added 11 points in the Norse’s 82-61 victory at Saint Joseph's on Saturday. SMITH STEPS UP AGAINST SJC: NKU junior guard Suzie Smith had her best game of the season Saturday by scoring nine points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists against Saint Joseph’s. ABOUT BELLARMINE: The Knights are 12-1 overall and lead the GLVC with a 7-0 record after posting a 76-63 win at Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday. Bellarmine also owns the GLVC’s longest winning streak (nine games) going into Thursday. Seven Bellarmine players score in double figures, led by senior guard Rachel Young's 15.1 ppg average. Sophomore guard Nickie Randall averages 12.8 ppg and leads the team in three-pointers made with 26, and senior forward Jackie Holland is scoring 11.5 ppg. Senior forward Stephanie Hutchcraft, who missed the first six games of the season with an injury, has averaged 12.1 ppg and 4.4 rebounds since returning to the lineup. THE LAST TIME AGAINST BELLARMINE: On March 2, 2000, in the semifinals of the GLVC Tournament at Evansville, Ind., Michelle Cottrell scored 19 points as the Norse defeated Bellarmine, 73-55. Amy Mobley grabbed nine rebounds for the Norse, who avenged an early-season loss to the Knights. In their only other meeting of last season, Bellarmine rallied from an 18-point deficit in the first half to stun NKU, 76-72, in Regents Hall. NKU built a 27-9 lead midway through the first half in that game, but Bellarmine used an 18-10 run before halftime to cut the deficit to 37-27. NKU still held a 68-62 lead with 4:40 remaining in the game, but Bellarmine used a 12-0 run to take a 74-68 advantage with 1:13 left. Ryan Danner and Stephanie Hutchcraft both scored five points to key the spurt. Bellarmine’s Rachel Young sealed the game by making a short jumper with 11 seconds remaining to give the Knights a 76-72 lead.