Jan. 28, 2002

NORSE PLAY SIUE THIS THURSDAY

NKU (14-4, 10-2 GLVC) in sole possession of first place in GLVC

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team is 14-4 after rallying for an 81-79 win at the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday. The Norse lead the Great Lakes Valley Conference with a 10-2 record by one-half game over the University of Southern Indiana and Bellarmine University. NKU will play host to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Regents Hall. Amy Mobley’s three-point play with three seconds remaining Saturday gave NKU the win over Missouri-St. Louis. The Riverwomen held a 79-78 lead in the closing seconds, but Mobley made a layup while being fouled. She converted the free throw to give the Norse an 81-79 advantage with three seconds left, and Missouri-St. Louis was unable to get off a last-second shot. Bridget Flanagan scored 21 points for NKU, which rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to post the victory. Kristin Polosky scored 17 points for the Norse, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Mobley added 16 points and 12 rebounds for NKU, and Dana Schubeler also recorded a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. COTTRELL INJURY UPDATE: NKU played both games last week without senior All-America forward Michelle Cottrell, who is out with a stress fracture in her right foot. Cottrell, who averages 18 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, is also expected to miss the SIUE and Lewis University games this week. She has missed NKU’s past three games. Cottrell needs just 20 points reach the 2,000-point plateau. She is NKU’s all-time leading scorer with 1,980 points. SEEING DOUBLE: NKU junior forward Amy Mobley has recorded double-doubles in four of her past five games, and she is averaging 21.2 points and 11.8 rebounds during that stretch. Norse senior center Dana Schubeler recorded a pair of double-doubles during the last road trip. She scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds during a 93-74 loss at Southern Indiana, and she had 13 points and 14 rebounds at Missouri-St. Louis. FLANAGAN NO. 1 IN THE GLVC: NKU junior guard Bridget Flanagan ranks No. 1 in the GLVC in three-pointers made per game at 2.61. She has made 47 of 121 three-point attempts this season, and her 38.8 percent ranks No. 5 in the GLVC. POLOSKY OFF THE BENCH: NKU junior forward Kristin Polosky came off the bench Saturday and poured in 17 points against Missouri-St. Louis. Polosky, who had started the previous 17 games this season, also grabbed eight rebounds against Missouri-St. Louis. ABOUT SIUE: The Cougars are 11-8 overall after losing to Saint Joseph’s College by an 89-81 score Saturday night. SIUE is 9-4 in the GLVC. SIUE features junior forward Ruth Kipping, who averages 19.1 points and 9.5 rebounds. Kipping is also shooting 54.4 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Jessica Robert is scoring 11.1 ppg and leads the team with 74 assists. THE LAST TIME AGAINST SIUE: Earlier this month on Jan. 5, Dana Schubeler scored 18 points as NKU defeated SIUE, 62-43, at the Vadalabene Center. Schubeler scored 10 points in the second half as the Norse turned a close game into an easy victory. NKU held a 29-28 halftime lead, but the Norse limited SIUE to just 25 percent shooting from the field in the second half. Michelle Cottrell added 14 points and nine rebounds for NKU, and Bridget Flanagan finished with 14 points for the Norse. Amy Mobley pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for NKU, which won the battle of the boards by a 40-32 margin. Suzie Smith finished with a game-high seven assists for the Norse. THE STREAK AGAINST SIUE: NKU owns six consecutive wins against SIUE and leads the all-time series, 12-6. SIUE’s last win against NKU came on Dec. 5, 1998, when the Cougars pulled out a 62-61 victory at Edwardsville, Ill. Misi Clark’s free throw with 0.6 seconds remaining snapped a 61-61 tie and gave SIUE the victory. ABOUT LEWIS: The Flyers, who play at the University of Indianapolis on Thursday, are 6-12 overall. Lewis is 3-9 in the GLVC. Lewis is led by senior guard Kari Wong, who averages 8.8 points per game and has 79 assists. No player on the Flyers roster is scoring in double figures. THE LAST TIME AGAINST LEWIS: Earlier this season on Nov. 24 at Romeoville, Ill., Michelle Cottrell scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as NKU defeated Lewis, 74-43, at the Neil Carey Arena. NKU held a 26-20 halftime lead, and the Norse used a 14-2 run to begin the second half to break open a close game. Bridget Flanagan scored eight of her 16 points and made two three-point shots to key the NKU spurt. NKU shot 59.3 percent from the field in the second half, and the Norse finished with a 36-27 rebound advantage. Emily Phillips came off the bench and added eight points for NKU, which leads the all-time series with Lewis, 30-3.