NKU attempts to tie the school record for best start (13-0) Thursday.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Unbeaten Northern Kentucky University will attempt to tie the school record for best start to a season Thursday night when the Norse visit Missouri S&T in Rolla, Mo.
NKU enters that game 12-0 overall, 4-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The eighth-ranked Norse can equal the 2000-01 squad for best start to a season (13-0) with a victory against Missouri S&T, which is 2-11 overall, 1-4 in the GLVC.
NKU is 7-0 all-time against Missouri S&T, including a 3-0 mark at Rolla, Mo. The Norse conclude the two-game road trip Saturday by facing Drury in Springfield, Mo.
ABOUT THE 2000-01 TEAM: NKU began the 2000-01 season with 13 consecutive victories, capped by a 99-75 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Jan. 4, 2001. The team's starting lineup in that game consisted of Craig Sanders, Brian Lawhon, Craig Conley, Carl Mitchell and Adam Norwell.
Two nights later in Evansville, Ind., No. 3 Southern Indiana - also unbeaten at 11-0 - ended No. 4 NKU's perfect start with a 90-75 victory against the Norse.
NKU finished the 2000-01 season with a 27-7 record.
WIN STREAK: The longest winning streak in Norse history is 16, set by the 1994-95 team.
150 & COUNTING: NKU head coach
Dave Bezold picked up his 150th career victory last Saturday during a 91-59 win over Rockhurst. In his eighth season, Bezold reached the 150-win mark quicker than any NKU head coach.
RACK ATTACK: NKU senior guard
Tony Rack buried five 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead NKU over Rockhurst. Rack netted 15 points in the first half on 5-for-5 shooting from 3-point range. As a team in the first half, NKU was 8-for-10 from behind the arc and finished 13-for-21.
Jon Van Hoose knocked down four treys and scored 13 points.
ON TARGET: NKU shot 60.7 percent from the field in the win over Rockhurst. The Norse's
Chad Jackson (15 points) and
DeAndre Nealy (14 points) were both 7-for-9 from the field. Nealy added five blocked shots, while Jackson finished with five assists and three steals.
THE BEAR FACTS: Eshaunte “Bear” Jones scored 11 points and dished out four assists against Rockhurst.
AT THE POINT: Ethan Faulkner added 10 points and finished with five assists against Rockhurst. He also grabbed three rebounds and did not commit a turnover.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST MISSOURI S&T: On Feb. 4, 2011, NKU rallied in the second half for a 71-60 victory over Missouri S&T.
Ethan Faulkner and
Jon Van Hoose both finished with 12 points, while Knight added 10 points off the bench. NKU used a game-ending 16-5 run during the final six minutes to break away from a 55-all tie and defeat the Miners.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST DRURY: On Feb. 6, 2011,
Chris Knight buried a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining to give NKU a 72-69 victory against Drury.
Drury, which trailed by as many as 23 points in the second half, tied the game at 69-all with 27 seconds left on a basket by Dennon Mitchell. NKU held the ball for the final shot, and Knight drained a 24-footer to give the Norse a 72-69 lead.
DON'T LOOK AHEAD: NKU wraps up the three-game road trip Monday by squaring off against defending national champion Bellarmine in Knights Hall at 8 p.m.
Bellarmine is No. 3 in this week's NCAA Division II poll. The Knights defeated NKU three times last season and are 7-1 against the Norse in the last eight meetings.
