TAVERNIER, Fla. - Nikki Perkins and Connie Myers each scored 15 points Thursday night as the Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team defeated Nova Southeastern (Fla.) University, 61-39, in the first round of the Holiday Isle Classic.
Sharell Snardon added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Norse, who are ranked No. 10 nationally in the WBCA Division II poll. NKU (1-0) forced Nova Southeastern into 33 turnovers and limited the Knights to 27.8 percent shooting from the field.
Perkins, a junior guard making her NKU debut, scored 13 points in the second half. She tallied the first five points after the break to give the Norse a 32-19 lead.
NKU held Nova Southeastern scoreless for the first six minutes of the second half and led by as many as 22 points. The win was No. 440 for Norse head coach Nancy Winstel, who is 440-140 in 21 years.
“We’re still a work in progress, but it’s always great to start the season with a win,” said Winstel, who is in her 21st season as NKU head coach. “I thought we played well defensively, but we’re trying different combinations with so many new players and it’s going to take a while to get where we want to be.”
Snardon scored 10 points in the first half as NKU built a 27-19 lead. Nova Southeastern guard Marvelous Washington kept the Knights close by scoring 12 of her 16 points before halftime.
Snardon, a sophomore post player from Louisville, Ky., scored only two points in the second half but still finished with her sixth career double-double. It also marked the 11th consecutive game she has scored in double figures dating back to last season.
NKU will meet defending NCAA Division II national champion South Dakota State University - which knocked off the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday - in the Holiday Isle Classic title game at 9 p.m. Saturday. Last season, NKU and South Dakota State played for the NCAA Division II national championship at St. Joseph, Mo., and the Jackrabbits defeated the Norse, 65-50.
NKU and South Dakota State also met in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight two years ago at Rochester, Minn., and the Jackrabbits rallied for a 68-67 win over the Norse.
South Dakota State is ranked No. 1 nationally in the Division II poll.
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Nikki Perkins |