Sadie Bowling drives against Stephanie McSparin in the first half.
Box score
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A pair of big-time scoring spurts in the second half and some outstanding late-game defense enabled the Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team to rally for a 73-63 victory over Southern Indiana on Saturday.
Casse Mogan scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half as NKU rallied from a 36-25 deficit at the break.
Jaimie Hamlet netted 12 of her 17 points after intermission as the Norse improved to 17-9 overall, 11-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
NKU opened the second half with a 12-0 run to take a 37-36 lead on Mogan's conventional three-point play with 15:10 remaining. Southern Indiana fought back and eventually took a 47-44 advantage, setting the stage for another big NKU spurt.
Tied at 52-all with 6:31 remaining, NKU went on a 14-3 run to gain a 66-55 lead with 2:45 left on the clock. Hamlet buried a pair of 3-pointers during the spurt and keyed the run with eight points.
NKU held Southern Indiana to just 25.9 percent shooting from the field in the second half. The Lady Eagles managed just two field goals during the final six minutes of the game.
Sadie Bowling added 16 points for the Norse, who will meet Kentucky Wesleyan in the first round of the GLVC Tournament on Saturday in Owensboro, Ky.
Southern Indiana made eight of its first nine shots from the field – including all five of its 3-point attempts – to build a 21-7 lead in the opening six minutes. Kristin Raker drained a trio of 3-pointers during the run for the Lady Eagles.
Southern Indiana eventually led by as many as 16 points and settled for a 36-25 advantage at the break after shooting 65.2 percent from the field. Amie Newhart scored 10 points in the first half to lead the Lady Eagles.
NKU made just 34.6 percent of its shots before halftime. Southern Indiana held Mogan to just four points in the first half.
Ellen Holton finished with eight points as NKU completed the season sweep of Southern Indiana (16-10 overall, 12-6 GLVC). In December, the Norse rolled to a 71-38 victory against the Lady Eagles.
Mogan added six rebounds and four assists for NKU, which upped its all-time record against Southern Indiana to 36-19. Bowling grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Norse, and Hamlet pulled down six boards.
