Nov. 19, 2001

NKU TO MEET GEORGETOWN (Ky.)

Norse women open season at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will begin the 2001-02 regular season at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night (Nov. 20) in Regents Hall against Georgetown (Ky.) College. NKU posted a 25-5 record last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season. NKU returns one starter and seven letterwinners from that team. NKU enters the 2001-02 season ranked No. 11 nationally in the WBCA Division II preseason poll. The Norse were picked second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason poll. NKU has played an exhibition game earlier this season on Nov. 10, and the Norse posted a 68-67 win over Division I Indiana State University at Terre Haute, Ind. Kristin Polosky’s free throw with 3.9 seconds remaining in the game snapped a 67-67 tie and lifted NKU to the victory. Polosky, a junior forward, made the first free throw to give NKU a 68-67 lead. She missed the second attempt and the ball was rebounded by Indiana State’s Celeste Hlebovy. The Sycamores called timeout with 0.1 seconds left, but the clock expired as soon as they inbounded the ball. It marked the second straight year that NKU has defeated the Division I Sycamores in an exhibition game. NKU jumped out to a 35-23 halftime lead after making 60.9 percent of its shots from the field. NKU senior forward Michelle Cottrell led the Norse attack with 22 points and eight rebounds, while junior forward Amy Mobley finished with 14 points and five rebounds. Mobley also made all four of her attempts from the field (4 of 4). COTTRELL NEARS NKU SCORING RECORD: NKU’s Michelle Cottrell, who was named the MVP of the 2000 NCAA Division II Elite Eight after leading NKU to its first-ever national title, is the only starter returning to the Norse lineup. She averaged 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game last season and enters her final year with 1,710 career points. Cottrell needs just 174 points to pass Peggy Vincent (1,883 points) and become NKU’s all-time career scoring leader. PRESEASON NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cottrell, who was named last season’s Division II Bulletin National Player of the Year, has been selected as the preseason choice to repeat that honor. She ranked No. 6 nationally in field goal percentage at 62.1 percent last season, and she made 80.5 percent of her free throws. MOBLEY PERFECT AGAINST ISU: NKU junior Amy Mobley came off the bench against Indiana State and made every shot she took in the Norse's 68-67 win. She made all four of her attempts from the field, including both three-point shots. She also hit all four free throws and grabbed five rebounds. SCHUBELER MAKES IMPRESSION AT ISU: NKU senior center Dana Schubeler scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds against Indiana State. She took five shots from the field and connected on four in 19 minutes of action. WINSTEL NEARS 400 WINS AT NKU: Norse head coach Nancy Winstel has 387 victories at NKU going into the 2001-02 season. She is looking to become the first basketball coach in Norse history to reach the 400-win plateau. ABOUT GEORGETOWN: The Tigers enter Tuesday night with a 3-1 record after dropping a 60-59 decision at Shawnee State University on Saturday. Andi Johnson averages 13.8 points per game and is Georgetown's leading scorer. Kristin Hutchinson averages 11.0 ppg and is No. 2 on the team in scoring. NKU has not played Georgetown since the 1987-88 season, when the Norse posted a 77-70 road win over the Tigers. NKU leads the all-time series, 8-0. GLVC OPENER SET FOR SATURDAY: NKU will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Saturday (Nov. 24) with a 2 p.m. road game at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. The Norse will also travel to Kenosha, Wis., on Monday (Nov. 26) to meet the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at 6:30 p.m.