Nov. 28, 2000

NORSE PLAY LEWIS THIS THURSDAY

NKU (4-0) seeks 29th consecutive victory

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team improved to 4-0 on Sunday with an 84-51 victory over Christian Brothers (Tenn.) University in the championship game of the Community Recorder Classic in Regents Hall. The Norse, the defending NCAA Division II national champions, are ranked No. 1 nationally in the Division II poll. NKU will open its Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule this Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. against Lewis University in Regents Hall. The Norse will also play host to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at 1 p.m. Saturday in Regents Hall. Junior forward Michelle Cottrell scored 26 points to lead NKU past Christian Brothers in the championship game of the Community Recorder Classic. Cottrell, who earned All-Tournament honors, leads NKU in scoring (21.5 points per game), rebounding (7.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (74.3 percent). Senior guard Heather Livingstone had 14 points and six assists Sunday to earn All-Tournament honors. Senior guard Michele Tuchfarber scored 13 points and had three steals to also earn All-Tournament honors for the Norse. THE STREAK CONTINUES: NKU has now won 28 consecutive games dating back to last season. The Norse have not lost since Jan. 8, 2000, when Bellarmine posted a 76-72 win against NKU in Regents Hall. SCHUBELER ON THE BOARDS: Junior center Dana Schubeler grabbed a career-high eight rebounds during NKU’s win against Christian Brothers on Sunday. Schubeler, a transfer from Butler University, also added five points in that game. MOBLEY EARNS ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: NKU sophomore forward Amy Mobley joined Cottrell, Livingstone and Tuchfarber on the Community Recorder All-Tournament Team. Mobley had 12 points and seven rebounds during NKU’s first-round win against Carson-Newman, and she added six points, three rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots against Christian Brothers in the championship game. WIDE MARGINS: NKU currently is beating its opponents by an average of 26.7 points per game. NKU averages 88.0 points and is limiting the opposition to just 61.3 ppg. The Norse are also holding the opponents to just 37.3 percent shooting from the field. MOVING UP THE LIST: NKU senior guard Michele Tuchfarber now has scored 1,285 career points and ranks No. 10 in Norse history in that category. She needs just three points against Lewis to move into ninth place ahead of Cindy Schlarman (1,287 points). Junior forward Michelle Cottrell now has scored 1,273 career points and ranks No. 11 in school history. Cottrell will move into the top 10 all-time scorers in Norse history this weekend if she scores 15 points. ABOUT LEWIS: The Flyers enter Thursday’s game with a 1-1 record. Lewis is led by junior center Jennifer Simon, who averages 13.0 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Andrea Gunnell averages 12.5 ppg, and she has made 85.7 percent of her free throws. Freshman forward Bryanne Callahan averages 11.0 ppg and 8.5 rebounds. THE LAST TIME AGAINST LEWIS: On Feb. 5, 2000, Michelle Cottrell scored 25 points as NKU defeated Lewis, 81-76, in Regents Hall. Cottrell’s 25 points helped NKU offset a 40-point performance by Lewis’ Carey Jewell, who tied a Great Lakes Valley Conference record by making nine three-point shots in that game. Heather Livingstone added 18 points to help NKU defeat Lewis. In their first meeting of last season, NKU posted a 74-53 win over Lewis at Romeoville, Ill. Cottrell led NKU with 23 points and nine rebounds in that game.