HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will play host to Bellarmine University at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall.
NKU improved to 12-5 overall last Saturday with a 68-59 win over Saint Joseph's College in Regents Hall. The Norse are 7-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Betsey Clark came off the bench and scored eight points to key a 30-6 run in the second half as NKU knocked off Saint Joseph’s. The Pumas held a 34-30 lead with 18:36 remaining in the game after a basket by Courtney Rosenbaum.
NKU, however, used a 19-4 run to build a 49-38 advantage when Clark hit a short jumper with 9:51 left.
Elizabeth Burrows and Sarah Woods connected on consecutive three-point shots from the left corner during the NKU spurt. Nikki Perkins capped the 30-6 run with a three-pointer to give the Norse a 60-40 lead with 4:40 remaining, and NKU defeated Saint Joseph’s for the 20th consecutive time.
NKU has not lost to Saint Joseph’s since the 1993-94 season, when the Pumas posted a 72-67 victory against the Norse at Rensselaer, Ind.
Perkins scored 14 points to lead NKU. Sharell Snardon added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Norse, who shot 58.3 percent from the field in the second half to roll to the victory.
NKU owned a 28-23 lead late in the first half after Karyn Creager converted two free throws, but Saint Joseph’s Heather Allen - who finished with a game-high 25 points - scored five points in the final 41 seconds as the Pumas forged a 28-28 tie at the break.
CLARK TIES CAREER BEST: NKU freshman guard Betsey Clark tied her career high with eight points last Saturday. Clark, a graduate of McNicholas High School in Cincinnati, averages 2.7 ppg.
STREAK ENDS FOR MYERS: NKU junior forward Connie Myers was held to six points Saturday, stopping her streak of games scoring in double figures at five. Myers ranks No. 2 on the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game, and she is averaging 7.1 rebounds per contest.
SNARDON HAS SUCCESSFUL RETURN: NKU sophomore post player Sharell Snardon returned to the NKU lineup last week after missing four games and she averaged 10.5 ppg and 6.0 rebounds in two contests.
For the season, Snardon leads NKU in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (9.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (.627). Snardon’s averages would rank No. 1 in the GLVC in both rebounding and field goal percentage, but a player must appear in 75 percent of their team's games in order to qualify.
CREAGER LEADS GLVC IN FREE THROWS: NKU freshman forward/guard Karyn Creager leads the GLVC in free throw percentage at .881. Creager has made 37-of-42 attempts from the line this season. She also averages 6.5 ppg and has connected on 11-of-31 three-point attempts.
PERKINS RANKS NO. 4 IN THREE-POINTERS MADE: NKU junior guard Nikki Perkins ranks No. 4 in the GLVC in three-pointers made at 2.24 per game. Perkins is shooting 38-for-84 from three-point range this season. She also averages 11.6 ppg.
ABOUT BELLARMINE: The Knights, who will play at the University of Indianapolis on Thursday, own a 12-5 overall record. Bellarmine is 8-3 in the GLVC and in third place.
The Knights are led by senior center Shanta Bowens, who averages 16.6 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Bowens is also shooting 60.6 percent from the field. Junior forward Lynne Johnson is scoring 14.9 ppg, and junior forward Lyndsey Neal averages 13.9 ppg and 8.2 rpg for the Knights.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST BELLARMINE: On Jan. 23, 2003, Sharell Snardon scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as NKU rallied to defeat Bellarmine, 73-69, in Regents Hall.
Bellarmine built a 55-47 lead with 10:46 remaining in the game when Nickie Randall hit a short jumper, but Snardon keyed a 9-0 NKU run with four points as the Norse took a 56-55 advantage.
The Knights responded with the next five points to gain a 60-56 lead, but consecutive baskets by Snardon and Kristin Polosky allowed NKU to tie the game at 60-60.
Bridget Flanagan’s three-pointer with 2:51 remaining gave NKU a 63-60 lead, and the Norse never trailed again. Flanagan hit another three-pointer with 49 seconds left to extend the Norse’s advantage to 68-62, and Polosky added a breakaway layup and two free throws to seal the victory.
Polosky added 16 points and 10 rebounds for NKU, and Flanagan finished with 12 points.
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Betsey Clark |