Special to The Post

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The victories continue to mount, and the winning streak keeps growing for the Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team.

Junior guard Michele Tuchfarber scored 17 points Wednesday night as NKU defeated Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne, 76-58, in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament in Roberts Stadium. It was the Norse's 17th consecutive victory.

The Norse are the defending GLVC Tournament champions, and NKU has never lost (4-0) in Roberts Stadium.

Sophomore forward Michelle Cottrell added 14 points as NKU improved to 25-2 and advanced to Friday's 3:30 p.m. GLVC Tournament semifinal game against Bellarmine College. Heather Livingstone scored 13 points for the Norse, who held IPFW (13-14) to just 33.3 percent shooting from the field.

NKU built an 11-point lead (19-8) early against IPFW, but the Mastodons rallied to within 32-31 with 1:45 left in the first half. Tuchfarber and Cottrell both scored baskets in the final minute to give NKU a 39-33 lead at intermission.

In the second half, a pair of three-pointers by Livingstone and another by freshman Bridget Flanagan keyed a 16-7 run that gave NKU a 59-42 lead. The Norse led by at least 13 points the rest of the way.

NKU will next play Bellarmine, the last team to defeat the Norse. Bellarmine knocked off Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 64-56, on Wednesday.

The Knights beat NKU, 76-72, on Jan. 8 in Regents Hall. In that game, Bellarmine rallied from a 27-9 deficit to beat NKU. Before that loss, NKU had beaten Bellarmine four consecutive times.

IU-PU FORT WAYNE (13-14): Fleming 3-11 0-0 6, Dudley 2-4 0-0 4, Loveless 1-1 0-0 2, Smith 0-4 2-2 2, Holderman 8-19 8-8 27, Miller 0-0 1-2 1, Moore 4-19 0-0 11, Crouse 2-2 0-0 5, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-60 11-12 58.

NKU (25-2): Cottrell 7-10 0-2 14, Jenson 1-4 2-2 4, Cowens 3-8 0-0 6, Livingstone 5-7 0-0 13, Tuchfarber 6-13 3-3 17, Smith 1-3 0-0 2, Bell 0-0 0-0 0, Geiman 0-0 0-0 0, Mobley 2-4 2-3 6, Flanagan 2-3 3-4 8, Polosky 2-3 2-2 6. Totals 29-55 12-16 76.
Halftime-NKU, 39-33. Three-point goals-IPFW 7-18 (Holderman 3-7, Moore 3-8, Crouse 1-1, Fleming 0-1, Smith 0-1), NKU 6-14 (Livingstone 3-5, Tuchfarber 2-4, Flanagan 1-1, Smith 0-1, Mobley 0-1, Jenson 0-2). Fouled out-Holderman. Fouls-IPFW 18, NKU 12. Rebounds-IPFW 26 (Loveless 8), NKU 42 (Jenson, Tuchfarber 6). Assists-IPFW 11 (Smith 6), NKU 18 (Livingstone 5). Technical fouls-None.'