NKU will meet No. 16 Charleston (W.Va.) this Friday in Louisville, Ky.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team meets Charleston (W.Va.) this Friday in the United Electric/Metro Medical Solutions Tip-Off Classic at Louisville, Ky.
The tip off for Friday's game is set for 5:30 p.m. Bellarmine is hosting the two-day event in Knights Hall. Charleston (W.Va.) is ranked No. 16 nationally in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll.
NKU concludes the tournament Saturday by playing Lake Erie at 5:30 p.m. The Norse are 1-0 all-time against Lake Erie and have never played Charleston (W.Va.).
NKU is 1-1 after splitting two games in Florida last week. The Norse opened the season with a 53-43 win at Lynn (Fla.) on Friday, then dropped a 77-70 decision at Nova Southeastern on Saturday.
CAREER GAME: NKU junior forward
Stephanie Hodges scored a career-high 15 points during the loss at Nova Southeastern. Hodges drained a pair of 3-pointers in that game and finished 5-for-9 from the field. She averages 7.5 points per game going into this weekend.
MO-RIFFIC: NKU junior guard
Casse Mogan poured in 25 points against Nova Southeastern. She was 13-for-14 from the free-throw line with six rebounds and five assists. Mogan also collected four steals in 38 minutes of action. The Circleville, Ohio, native averages 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest.
MILLER TIME: NKU sophomore forward
Shanece Miller is shooting 85.7 percent from the field after two games on 6-for-7 accuracy from the floor. Miller netted 10 points against Nova Southeastern and was perfect (6-for-6) from the free-throw line. She averages 9.5 points per contest.
ON THE BOARDS: NKU senior center
Kendra Caldwell averages a team-best 9.5 rebounds per game. Caldwell grabbed 11 boards against Lynn, then added eight rebounds against Nova Southeastern.
WINSTEL NEARS NKU MILESTONE: NKU head coach Nancy Winstel ranks fourth all-time in NCAA Division II history with 637 career victories. She has recorded 598 wins on the NKU sideline and can notch her 600th victory with the Norse this weekend.
SLOW STARTS: NKU started slowly in each of its first two games in Florida, and finished with big rallies. Lynn bolted out to a 10-3 lead after five minutes, but NKU closed the half with an 18-5 run to take a 21-15 advantage at the break. The Norse held Lynn scoreless during the final 7:24 of the first half to gain the lead with a 9-0 run.
The next day, NKU battled back from an 18-point deficit (28-10) in the first half to eventually take a 46-44 advantage when
Casse Mogan scored a basket while being fouled and then converted the free throw. Nova Southeastern, though, went on a 19-8 run to build a 63-54 edge with 5:59 left in the game.
Mogan buried a 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining to cut Nova Southeastern's lead to 71-67, but the Sharks made six free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the victory.
ABOUT CHARLESTON: The Golden Eagles return four seniors who averaged double figures last season. Nine of the top 10 scorers from last year return.
The Golden Eagles are led by 5-foot-8 senior guard Lindsey Kentner, who averaged 18 points per contest last year. Charleston also features a dominant inside player in forward Tarenna Dixon (12.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game). Point guard Tiana Beatty (11.0 points and 7.5 rebounds) and shooting guard in Ali Tobias (10.9 points per game) also return.
