Nov. 14, 2000

NKU OPENS SEASON AGAINST EDINBORO (Pa.)

Defending NCAA champion Norse play at Avalon Classic

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team, the defending NCAA Division II national champion, will open the 2000-01 season this Friday (Nov. 17) at the Avalon Classic at Erie, Pa. The Avalon Classic is being hosted by Gannon University. NKU will face Edinboro (Pa.) University at 6 p.m. in the first round Friday. Gannon will take on Houghton (N.Y.) in the other first-round contest at 8 p.m. Friday. The championship game is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, and the consolation game will be played at 1 p.m. NKU owns a 24-game winning streak dating back to last season. The Norse finished 32-2 en route to their first-ever national championship. NKU returns all five starters and nine letterwinners from that team. The Norse are led by junior forward Michelle Cottrell, a Kodak NCAA II first team All-American forward who averaged 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds last season. Cottrell was named the most outstanding player at last season's NCAA II Elite Eight after scoring 23 points and grabbing 19 rebounds in the national championship game against North Dakota State. Cottrell was also named Great Lakes Valley Conference co-Player of the Year last season, sharing the honor with Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville’s Misi Clark. BIG EXHIBITION WIN FOR THE NORSE: NKU traveled to Terre Haute, Ind., last Saturday night and defeated Indiana State University, 97-94 in overtime. Cottrell scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds Saturday night to lead the Norse. NKU forced the NCAA Division I Sycamores into 26 turnovers and placed five players in double figures. Michele Tuchfarber (14 points), Heather Livingstone (12 points), Dana Schubeler (12 points) and Jessica Jenson (11 points) all joined Cottrell in double figures. Cottrell made 10 of 17 shots from the field. DEPTH IN THE POST: NKU added another talented post player during the off-season when 6-foot-3 center Dana Schubeler transferred from Division I Butler University. Schubeler scored 12 points and added six rebounds against Indiana State on Saturday. NKU also returns letterwinners Julie Cowens, Amy Mobley, Kristin Polosky and Cottrell to the inside positions. ABOUT EDINBORO: The Fighting Scots posted a 13-14 record last season. Edinboro lost its top two scorers - Marin Hightower (23.6 ppg) and Jessica Rowe (21.3 ppg) - from last year’s team. Those two players combined for 44.9 points per game last season. Edinboro does return senior forward Kim Vay, who averaged 9.9 ppg last season. Vay also averaged a team-leading 10.3 rebounds per game. NKU leads the all-time series with Edinboro, 2-1, but the Fighting Scots defeated the Norse by a 68-65 score in their last meeting in the first round of the NKU Classic in 1996. NKU TO HOST INAUGURAL COMMUNITY RECORDER CLASSIC: The NKU women’s basketball team will play host to the inaugural Community Recorder Classic Nov. 25-26 in Regents Hall. On Nov. 25, the first-round games will feature Northwood (Mich.) taking on Christian Brothers (Tenn.) at 1 p.m., and NKU facing Carson-Newman at 3:30 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 26. The consolation game is set for 1 p.m.