Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Fri., March 4
Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament
St. Louis, Mo. – Moloney Arena (3,000)
Kentucky Wesleyan (18-8) vs. NKU (20-7), 3:30 p.m.
NKU Radio/Internet: WQRT (1160 AM) & www.nkunorse.com
Series Record: KWC leads, 44-32
Last Meeting: NKU 76, KWC 60 (2-10-11)


HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University meets Kentucky Wesleyan in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament this Friday at 3:30 p.m. (Eastern time) in St. Louis, Mo.

NKU enters Friday's game with a 20-7 overall record, while Kentucky Wesleyan is 18-8. That game will be played at Moloney Arena on the campus of Maryville University.

The GLVC semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, with the championship game set for Sunday. The NKU/Kentucky Wesleyan winner faces Bellarmine in the semifinals.

THE SERIES: Kentucky Wesleyan owns a 44-32 lead in the all-time series against NKU. The Norse, however, swept the series against the Panthers this season with a 91-82 overtime win at Owensboro, Ky., on Jan. 22, and later taking a 76-60 decision in Highland Heights on Feb. 10.

This marks the second straight year NKU and Kentucky Wesleyan have met in the GLVC Tournament. In the semifinals last season at Springfield, Ill., Kentucky Wesleyan rallied for an 81-76 victory against the Norse.

NKU and Kentucky Wesleyan have met a total of three times in GLVC Tournament play, and the Panthers have won each game (1999, 2001 and 2010).

HOW NKU ADVANCED: NKU posted a 75-70 win against Quincy on Saturday in the first round of the GLVC Tournament. The fifth-seeded Norse shot 52.1 percent from the field in the win.

Dennis Gagai made a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 16 points to lead NKU. Bobby Shannon added 14 points – including two ferocious first-half dunks - and three steals for NKU, while teammates Erik Stenger and Malcolm Eleby each scored 11. Gagai and Stenger both netted nine points in the first half as NKU built a 37-33 lead at the break.

GAGAI AT 928: NKU senior guard Dennis Gagai enters Friday with 928 career points. He is currently 29th on the NKU all-time scoring list.

GLVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: NKU is now 17-11 all-time in the GLVC Tournament after the opening-round win against Quincy. A year ago, NKU defeated Missouri S&T and Saint Joseph's before losing to Kentucky Wesleyan in the semifinals at Springfield Ill.

Two years ago, the Norse posted a 69-47 win against Bellarmine to claim the GLVC title in Evansville, Ind. In 2003, the Norse defeated Wisconsin-Parkside, Southern Indiana and Lewis en route to their first-ever GLVC Tournament championship at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Ind.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST KWC: Earlier this season on Feb. 10, Josh Tabb scored 16 points to lead NKU to a 76-60 win against Kentucky Wesleyan in The Bank of Kentucky Center.

Dennis Gagai added 15 points, while Malcolm Eleby finished with 13 points and five assists for the Norse. Tabb, a senior guard, netted 10 points in the first half as NKU built a 36-30 lead at the break. The Norse took advantage of 11 Kentucky Wesleyan turnovers in the first half and were 5-for-14 from 3-point range before the break.

Anthony Young scored 22 points to lead Kentucky Wesleyan. Young's 3-pointer early in the second half cut NKU's lead to 40-39, but the Norse responded with a 15-6 run to extend their advantage to 55-45 on Gagai's 3-pointer with 9:16 left in the game.

NKU, which made 57.1 percent of its shots from the field in the second half, led by as many as 19 points late in the game and wrapped up the season sweep of the Panthers.

Bobby Shannon added nine points for NKU, while Chris Knight finished with seven points before fouling out. NKU shot 50.9 percent from the field and was 9-for-23 from 3-point range. The Norse held Kentucky Wesleyan to 41.2 percent shooting from the field.

NKU also shut down Kentucky Wesleyan guard Cardell McFarland, who finished with just four points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field. He entered that contest averaging 17.8 points per game.