Northern Kentucky University Athletics

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team begins a two-game road trip Thursday night by meeting Bellarmine at 8 p.m.

On Saturday, NKU meets No. 8 Kentucky Wesleyan at Owensboro, Ky. The Norse have beaten Kentucky Wesleyan 12 consecutive times during the past six years.

Both games can be heard live on WIOK (107.5 FM) and at www.nkunorse.com.

NKU upped its record to 13-10 with a 72-54 win against Missouri S&T on Saturday. The Norse are 6-8 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference but have won three of their past four games.

Bellarmine is 16-7 overall, 9-5 in the GLVC. The Knights pulled out a 74-69 win at NKU two weeks ago. NKU owns a 43-31 lead in the all-time series with Bellarmine.

DOMINANT WEEKEND: NKU's David Palmer was named GLVC Player of the Week on Monday. Palmer collected a pair of double-doubles to lead the Norse to two wins last weekend. Palmer scored 16 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as NKU pulled off a 65-61 upset of No. 14 Drury on Thursday. Palmer, a 6-foot-9 senior center, also blocked five shots and altered several other attempts.

On Saturday, Palmer scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 72-54 win against Missouri S&T.

KNIGHT TIME: NKU junior forward Chris Knight scored 21 points to lead the Norse past Missouri S&T. The 21 points were the most scored by Knight in an NKU uniform. Knight played two seasons at Bowling Green before transferring to NKU this season. Knight averages 9.9 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per contest.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST BELLARMINE: Earlier this season on Jan. 23, Jeremy Kendle and Justin Benedetti combined for 38 points to lead Bellarmine to a 74-69 win against NKU in front of a national television audience on CBS College Sports.

Kendle led Bellarmine with 21 points, six assists and seven rebounds, while Benedetti scored 17. The Knights shot 50 percent from the field to pull out the win.

David Palmer scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for NKU. The Norse rallied from a 16-point deficit in the first half to eventually get to within 40-39 with 15:12 remaining in the game, but Bellarmine used a late 7-0 run to pull out the win in its first trip to The Bank of Kentucky Center.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST KWC: On Jan. 21, Dennis Gagai scored 16 points as NKU posted a 67-62 victory against then-No. 13 Kentucky Wesleyan in The Bank of Kentucky Center. Scott Bibbins added 15 points for the Norse, who were 9-for-19 from 3-point range and defeated Kentucky Wesleyan for the 12th consecutive time.

NKU held the Panthers to just 35.2 percent shooting from the field. David Palmer blocked four shots for the Norse and made the going rough for Kentucky Wesleyan on the inside. Palmer also finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. He netted 11 points in the first half, including a dunk off an assist from Gagai just before the buzzer sounded.

Gagai drained five shots from 3-point range, including back-to-back treys that gave NKU 46-43 lead with 8:29 remaining in the game. After Kentucky Wesleyan tied the score at 46-all on a 3-pointer from Marico Stinson, Bibbins scored while being fouled. He converted the free throw to give the Norse a 49-46 edge at the 7:55 mark, and NKU maintained the lead the remainder of the game.

CAGING THE PANTHERS: Kentucky Wesleyan has not defeated NKU since Feb. 28, 2004, when the Panthers claimed an 87-66 decision against the Norse in Owensboro, Ky. NKU head coach Dave Bezold is unbeaten (12-0) against Kentucky Wesleyan. Kentucky Wesleyan still leads the all-time series by a 42-30 count.