NKU will try to stop Saint Francis (Ind.), which is 3-0 against GLVC teams.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Can anyone in the Great Lakes Valley Conference stop the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's basketball team?
The Lady Cougars (9-2), who are ranked No. 8 nationally in the NAIA II poll, have already beaten GLVC members Southern Indiana, Bellarmine and Indianapolis this season. Saint Francis – which posted a 23-point victory at Indianapolis on Thursday night – visits Northern Kentucky University at 2 p.m. Saturday.
NKU enters Saturday's non-conference clash with a 7-2 record and a six-game winning streak. The Norse are alone atop the GLVC East Division standings with a 2-0 record.
NKU coasted to a 63-45 victory against Tiffin on Wednesday night.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST SAINT FRANCIS: On Dec. 12, 2009,
Whitney Levering scored 16 points as NKU cruised to a 61-41 victory against Saint Francis. Levering also grabbed five rebounds and was 7-for-11 from the field. She scored nine points in the second half as NKU pulled away from the visiting Lady Cougars.
Brandi Rayburn added 13 points and seven rebounds for NKU, which held Saint Francis to 30.6 percent shooting from the field. The Norse won the rebounding battle by a 40-34 margin and committed just nine turnovers.
Casse Mogan scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists, while teammate
Sadie Bowling added 12 points off the bench.
Rachel Lantry finished with five assists and three steals for the Norse.
NKU jumped out to a 16-2 lead during the opening 10 minutes and allowed just one field goal for the first 11:30 of the game. Saint Francis, however, closed the half with a 9-2 run and trailed just 23-17 at the break.
With NKU holding a 30-22 lead in the second half, Levering drained a 3-pointer from out front to extend the Norse advantage to 33-22. After a conventional three-point play by Bessie Jenkins cut the NKU lead to 33-25, Levering responded with another basket off an assist from Mogan to give the Norse a 10-point cushion at 35-25.
Mogan and Bowling converted back-to-back baskets later in the half as NKU built a 47-32 lead. The Norse led by as many as 22 points and improved to 2-0 in the all-time series against Saint Francis.
Julie Seiss led Saint Francis with 13 points, and teammate Chanell Ridley blocked four shots.
CLASH OF THE BEST: On Dec. 20, 2000, NKU and Saint Francis squared off in Regents Hall with both teams ranked No. 1 nationally in their respective divisions. Michelle Cottrell scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as NKU defeated Saint Francis, 88-71.
NKU entered that game ranked No. 1 nationally in the Division II poll. Saint Francis was No. 1 nationally in the NAIA poll, but the Lady Cougars made just 42 percent of their shots from the field and lost the rebounding battle by a 38-29 margin. Heather Livingstone added 20 points for NKU, and Michele Tuchfarber scored 16 points.
MO ON A ROLL: At the moment, NKU junior guard
Casse Mogan has scored in double figures in eight straight games. Mogan leads NKU in scoring at 17.7 points per game. She now has 743 career points, which is 44th in Norse history. Mogan needs just three points to pass Heather Livingstone (745 career points) for 43rd place on the list.
LOWDOWN ON NKU: The Norse are 6-1 when leading at halftime this season, and 1-1 when trailing at intermission. NKU's only loss when leading at halftime came against Charleston (W.Va.) on Nov. 19, when the Norse owned a 27-23 advantage at intermission. NKU has not allowed an opponent to shoot 50 percent from the field through the first nine games.
