HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team is 20-6 after posting an 81-59 win over Lewis University on Saturday. That victory clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament for the Norse.
NKU will face No. 7 seed University of Wisconsin-Parkside at 7 p.m. (EST) this Wednesday night at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Ind. The NKU/Wisconsin-Parkside winner will meet the Quincy University/Saint Joseph’s College winner in the semifinals at 1 p.m. (EST) Friday.
The GLVC championship game is scheduled for 5 p.m. (EST) on Saturday.
Amy Mobley scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds Saturday to lead NKU past Lewis. Mobley also added five assists and three blocked shots for NKU. Sharell Snardon came off the bench and made all seven of her field goal attempts and finished with 15 points and five rebounds as the Norse improved to 15-5 in the GLVC.
Mobley scored 18 points in the first half as NKU built a 46-22 lead at the break. The Norse - who trailed 7-0 early in the game - limited Lewis to just 22.5 percent shooting from the field in the first half.
Snardon scored 10 points in the second half as NKU increased its lead to 31 (74-43) with six minutes remaining. The Norse shot 47.4 percent from the field and made 24 of 38 free throws.
Connie Myers added a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) for NKU, which has now won at least 20 games for five straight seasons. Jessica Brock finished with 11 points and nine rebounds for NKU, and Bridget Flanagan added 10 points and five assists.
NORSE BLOCK PARTY: Kristin Polosky tied an NKU single-game record with seven blocked shots Saturday as the Norse set a school record with 12 blocks as a team. The previous NKU single-game record was 10, most recently set on Feb. 8, 2001, against Saint Joseph’s.
NKU also blocked 10 shots against Indiana State University-Evansville (now Southern Indiana) during the 1981-82 season.
MOBLEY CLIMBS NKU SCORING LIST: NKU senior forward Amy Mobley is now 11th on the Norse's all-time scoring list with 1,292 career points. Mobley, who averages 15.6 points per game entering the GLVC Tournament, needs just eight points to reach 1,300 in her career.
SNARDON EMERGES AS INSIDE FORCE: NKU freshman forward Sharell Snardon has averaged 15 points and eight rebounds during the past three games. For the season, Snardon averages 8.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg. She is also shooting 56.3 percent from the field and has 18 steals.
FLANAGAN MOVES UP TO 15TH: NKU senior guard Bridget Flanagan (14.6 ppg) enters the GLVC Tournament 15th on the NKU all-time scoring list with 1,212 career points.
GLVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: NKU owns an 11-3 all-time record in the GLVC Tournament, and the Norse have won two GLVC Tournament championships. NKU is 10-2 all-time at Roberts Stadium during GLVC Tournament play.
A year ago, the Norse posted wins against Saint Joseph's and Bellarmine before losing to Southern Indiana in the championship game.
Two years ago, NKU defeated Quincy and Southern Illinois at Edwardsville before losing to Southern Indiana in the championship game.
Three years ago, NKU defeated IPFW, Bellarmine and Indianapolis to capture the GLVC title.
Four 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.
ABOUT WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE: The Rangers enter the GLVC Tournament with an 11-16 overall record. Wisconsin-Parkside features sophomore forward Sammy Kromm, who averages 20.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg. Senior guard Jamie Nebel averages 10.8 ppg and has connected on 68 of 229 three-point attempts.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE: Last week (Feb. 27) at Kenosha, Wis., Sammy Kromm scored six of her game-high 34 points in overtime as Wisconsin-Parkside defeated NKU, 75-73, at the DeSimone Gymnasium.
Kromm’s basket with 54 seconds remaining in overtime gave Wisconsin-Parkside a 75-70 lead, but NKU’s Amy Mobley connected on a three-pointer with 42 seconds left to cut the deficit to 75-73. NKU had a final chance to tie or win the game in the closing seconds, but Kristin Polosky missed a three-point shot and time expired.
Kromm made 11 of 22 shots from the field as Wisconsin-Parkside defeated NKU for the first time in history. She also hit 12 of 17 free throws and grabbed nine rebounds.
Going into last Thursday’s game, NKU was 16-0 all-time against the Rangers.
Wisconsin-Parkside held a 54-42 lead with six minutes remaining, but NKU rallied and sent the game into overtime when Jessica Brock grabbed an offensive rebound and scored a basket with 12 seconds left in regulation. The Rangers’ Carrie Weir then missed a jumper at the buzzer.
Mobley led NKU with 22 points, and Sharell Snardon added 18 points and 12 rebounds. NKU made 47.4 percent of its shots from the field, but the Norse committed 23 turnovers. The Norse made 9 of 24 three-point attempts and won the rebounding battle by a 42-32 margin.
NKU LOOKS TO STOP KROMM: Sammy Kromm is averaging 30 points per game against NKU in the two contests this season. In the two games, Kromm has made 21 of 36 shots (58.3 percent) from the field.
NCAA PAIRINGS ANNOUNCED THIS SUNDAY NIGHT: The NCAA Division II Tournament pairings will be announced this Sunday (March 9) at 10 p.m. The top eight teams in each of the eight regions will earn berths in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The University of Indianapolis is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region, and the Greyhounds are likely to be the host for the tournament March 14, 15 and 17. NKU was ranked No. 4 in last week’s poll and has probably secured a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Sharell Snardon