HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will meet the University of Indianapolis in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament this Thursday at 1 p.m. (EST) at Evansville, Ind.
NKU is 17-9 overall entering the GLVC Tournament, which will be played in Roberts Stadium. The Norse finished GLVC play with a 12-8 record and are the No. 6 seed.
Indianapolis finished with a 20-7 overall record, and the Greyhounds were 14-6 in the GLVC. Indianapolis, the defending GLVC Tournament champion, is the No. 3 seed.
All NKU games will be broadcast live on the radio on WTSJ (1050 AM).
CREAGER LEADS NKU PAST KWC: Karyn Creager scored a career-high 22 points Saturday as NKU defeated Kentucky Wesleyan College, 81-64, in the Owensboro Sportscenter. Creager, a freshman guard who made seven of her eight shots from the field, also added five rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Connie Myers finished with 11 points for the Norse.
NKU shot 51.9 percent from the field in the first half and built a 38-25 lead at the break. The Norse also held Kentucky Wesleyan to 32 percent shooting from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
NKU led by as many as 23 points in the second half and defeated Kentucky Wesleyan for the 13th consecutive time. Kentucky Wesleyan has not beaten NKU since Jan. 31, 1998, when the Panthers pulled out a 74-72 overtime win against the Norse in Owensboro, Ky.
Sharell Snardon, Nikki Perkins and Jessica Brock each added 10 points for NKU. Snardon grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds for NKU, which won the battle of the boards by a 38-25 margin.
GLVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: NKU owns a 12-4 all-time record in the GLVC Tournament, and the Norse have won two GLVC Tournament championships. NKU is 11-3 all-time at Roberts Stadium during GLVC Tournament play.
A year ago, NKU defeated Wisconsin-Parkside in the first round and lost to Quincy in the semifinals.
Two years ago, the Norse posted wins against Saint Joseph’s and Bellarmine before losing to Southern Indiana in the championship game.
Three years ago, NKU defeated Quincy and Southern Illinois at Edwardsville before losing to Southern Indiana in the championship game.
Four years ago, NKU defeated IPFW, Bellarmine and Indianapolis to capture the GLVC title.
Five years ago, the Norse defeated Kentucky Wesleyan, Southern Indiana and Bellarmine en route to the GLVC Tournament championship.
In 1997-98, NKU defeated Bellarmine in the first round in Regents Hall. The Norse lost to Southern Indiana at the PAC Arena in the GLVC semifinals.
NKU is 1-0 all-time in the GLVC Tournament against Indianapolis.
MYERS REACHES DOUBLE FIGURES AGAIN: NKU junior forward Connie Myers scored in double figures for the fourth straight game Saturday with 11 points. Myers, who leads NKU in scoring at 14.6 points per game, has scored in double figures 19 times this season.
Myers also averages 7.2 rebounds per game.
SNARDON LEADS GLVC IN REBOUNDING: NKU sophomore post player Sharell Snardon ranks No. 1 in the GLVC in rebounding at 8.2 rpg. Snardon also averages 13.3 ppg and is shooting 56 percent from the field, which ranks No. 3 in the GLVC.
CREAGER NO. 1 IN FREE THROWS: NKU freshman guard Karyn Creager leads the GLVC in free throw percentage at .864. Creager, who averages 6.7 ppg, has made 57-of-66 from the line this season.
ABOUT INDIANAPOLIS: The Greyhounds are led by junior guard Erin Moran, who averages 14.4 ppg and has made a team-leading 55 three-pointers. Sophomore center Megan Dossen is scoring 11.6 ppg and averages 5.0 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Amy Wisser averages 11.3 ppg.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST INDIANAPOLIS: Earlier this season on Feb. 21 at Indianapolis, Ind., Sara Strahm made a free throw with 10.7 seconds remaining in the game to snap a 49-49 tie as Indianapolis held off NKU, 50-49, at Nicoson Hall.
After Strahm’s free throw gave Indianapolis a 50-49 lead, NKU’s Jessica Brock hurried the ball up the floor and attempted a 10-foot leaning jumper from the right side of the lane. The shot missed, however, Indianapolis controlled the rebound and time expired.
Strahm and Amy Wisser each finished with 12 points for the Greyhounds, who rallied from a three-point deficit in the final minute of play. Indianapolis built an 11-point lead (38-27) midway through the second half, but NKU used a 19-6 run to take a 46-44 advantage when Nikki Perkins hit a jumper with 2:48 remaining in the game. The Norse still held a 49-46 lead with 1:50 left on the clock after Karmen Graham made a jumper in the lane.
Strahm converted two free throws with 31 seconds remaining to cut NKU’s lead to 49-48. After an NKU turnover, Amanda Norris was fouled with 12 seconds left and she made the first free throw to tie the game at 49-49. She missed the second attempt, but Strahm grabbed the offensive rebound, drew a foul with 10.7 seconds remaining and made 1-of-2 free throws to give Indianapolis the victory.
Connie Myers led NKU with 14 points, while Graham added nine points. The Norse, however, made just 7-of-17 free throws and lost the rebounding battle by a 36-29 margin.
In their first meeting this season, Nikki Perkins scored 10 points in the final eight minutes of the game as NKU rallied for a 61-54 win over Indianapolis in Regents Hall. Perkins capped a 26-12 NKU run with a three-point shot at the 2:57 mark that gave the Norse a 55-54 lead. It was the second three-pointer by Perkins during the Norse spurt.
Elizabeth Burrows broke free for a layup off an inbounds pass with 55 seconds left to give the Norse a 57-54 lead, and she added two free throws with 23 seconds remaining to extend NKU’s advantage to 59-54.
Perkins, who finished with 14 points, iced the game with six seconds left by sinking two free throws. NKU - which rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half - held Indianapolis scoreless the final 4:03 of the game to pull out the victory.
Indianapolis built a 31-21 halftime lead behind the play of Megan Dossen, who scored eight of her team's first 10 points. The Greyhounds led by as many as 14 points before halftime as NKU struggled against the Indianapolis full-court pressure and committed 12 turnovers.
NKU, however, limited Indianapolis to just 29.4 percent shooting in the second half and had just six turnovers during the final 20 minutes. The Norse also shot 55.2 percent from the field after halftime and hit four three-point shots to key the comeback.
Sharell Snardon scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half, and she also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
NCAA PAIRINGS ANNOUNCED SUNDAY NIGHT: Pairings for the NCAA Division II Tournament will be announced at 10:30 p.m. this Sunday night (March 7).
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Sharell Snardon |