Maria Bennett enters Thursday having scored more than 800 career points.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team entertains Kentucky Wesleyan at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
NKU is 13-4 overall, 6-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Kentucky Wesleyan is 12-5 overall, 6-3 in the GLVC.
BLACK OUT THE BANK: It will also be Black Out The Bank Night this Thursday. NKU encourages all fans to wear black to the doubleheader. The first 500 NKU students in attendance will receive a free Black Out T-shirt. (Doors open at 4:30 p.m.).
The world-famous Zooperstars will also make a return trip to The Bank of Kentucky Center and perform at halftime of both the men's and women's games. In addition, it is $1 Night as selected menu items will be available for just $1 as well as Student Meal Night. Norse Force double points will also be awarded for attending the games.
THE SERIES: NKU owns a commanding 53-7 lead in the all-time series with Kentucky Wesleyan. The Norse are 27-1 all-time at home against the Panthers, but that one loss occurred last season during a 53-52 setback in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Kentucky Wesleyan, in fact, swept the regular-season series with NKU a year ago. The Norse, however, eliminated Kentucky Wesleyan in the first round of the GLVC Tournament in Owensboro, Ky.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Casse Mogan now has 1,365 career points and is 10th on the NKU all-time scoring list. Melissa Wood is No. 9 in Norse history with 1,393 career points. Mogan leads NKU in scoring at 16.6 points per game, which is second in the GLVC. She is also ninth in assists (3.18 apg) and tied for fifth in steals (2.06 spg).
BENNETT PASSES 800: NKU senior guard
Maria Bennett enters Thursday's game with 814 career points as a collegiate basketball player. Bennett scored 681 points in three seasons at Wright State, and she has added 133 after transferring to NKU. She leads NKU in 3-pointers made (37) and attempts (100) this season. Bennett averages 7.8 points per contest and is perfect (8-for-8) from the free-throw line this season.
DON'T TAKE IT INSIDE: NKU leads the GLVC in blocked shots with an average of 5.24 rejections per game. The Norse's
Ellen Holton (15 blocks),
Sadie Bowling (14), Tiara Hooper (13) and
Kelsey Simpson (12) are four of the GLVC's top 15 shot-blockers.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: On Feb. 26, 2011,
Stephanie Hodges knocked down four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points as NKU avenged two regular-season losses to Kentucky Wesleyan with a 61-51 victory in the GLVC Tournament at the Owensboro Sportscenter.
Sadie Bowling scored 16 points and buried a trio of 3-pointers for NKU, which built a 13-point halftime lead and coasted to the win. The Norse were 9-for-13 from 3-point range.
Casse Mogan added 14 points for NKU.
Kentucky Wesleyan shot just 29.3 percent from the field. NKU also held Kentucky Wesleyan standout forward Katie Behrens to just six points on 1-for-8 shooting from the field.
USI NEXT: NKU visits Evansville, Ind., on Saturday for a GLVC game at Southern Indiana. The Norse are 36-19 all-time against Southern Indiana and swept the Screaming Eagles last season.
