No. 9 NKU meets No. 8 Southern Indiana on Saturday.
Sat., Jan. 28
Evansville, Ind. - PAC Arena (2,700)
#9 NKU (15-3, 7-3 GLVC) at #8 Southern Indiana (15-3, 7-3), 4:15 p.m.
NKU Radio/Internet: WQRT (1160 AM) & www.nkunorse.com
Series Record: USI leads, 47-18
Last Meeting: USI 63, NKU 60 (2-19-11)
NKU/KWC game story from The Cincinnati Enquirer
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - For the second time in three days, Northern Kentucky University faces a team ranked in the Division II top 10 when the Norse play at No. 8 Southern Indiana on Saturday at 4:15 p.m.
NKU enters that game 15-3 overall, 7-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse are ranked No. 9 in the Division II poll and are coming off a 74-57 loss to No. 7 Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday night in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Southern Indiana is also 15-3 overall, 7-3 in the GLVC. The Screaming Eagles suffered a 67-53 loss at top-ranked Bellarmine on Thursday night.
THE SERIES: Southern Indiana holds a 47-18 lead in the all-time series against NKU. The Screaming Eagles swept the two games last season, including a 63-60 decision in Evansville, Ind.
NKU has not won a regular-season game in the PAC Arena since Dec. 10, 1994, when the Norse rallied for a 96-90 victory over then-No. 1 Southern Indiana.
Since then, NKU has dropped 12 consecutive regular-season games in the PAC Arena to Southern Indiana.
NKU's last win against Southern Indiana in the PAC Arena came during the 1996 NCAA Division II Tournament, a 99-87 victory in the Great Lakes Region Tournament championship game.
GET THE LEAD: NKU is 15-0 this season when leading at halftime. The Norse are 0-3 when trailing at the break.
PANTHERS ROLL PAST NKU: Anthony Young poured in 20 of his 29 points in the second half as No. 7 Kentucky Wesleyan walked out of The Bank of Kentucky Center with a 74-57 victory over No. 9 NKU on Thursday.
The Panthers shot 57.8 percent from the field, clamped down defensively on the Norse in the second half and won for the first time in NKU's 9,400-seat arena. Kentucky Wesleyan held NKU to just 27.6 percent shooting from the field in the second half, including a 1-for-12 effort from 3-point range.
Jon Van Hoose, who scored all 14 of his points in the first half, was 0-for-6 from 3-point range after the break. The Norse entered the game as the nation's top 3-point shooting team (.439), but Kentucky Wesleyan's defense limited NKU to 5-for-24 (.208) from long range.
Ethan Faulkner and Stretch Watson each finished with 14 points for NKU, which was 11-0 at home this season going into Thursday's game. The Norse are now 50-6 all-time in The Bank of Kentucky Center, with all six losses coming against GLVC teams.
AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS: NKU is 53-128 all-time against nationally ranked opponents, including 0-2 this season.
NO. 1 IN THE NATION: NKU senior guard
Jon Van Hoose is No. 1 nationally in 3-pointers made per game with an average of 3.94 per contest. Van Hoose has knocked down 71 treys in 18 games this season and averages a team-leading 13.9 points per contest.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST SOUTHERN INDIANA: On Feb. 19, 2011, Mohamed Ntumba and Isaac McClure combined for 36 points as Southern Indiana held on for a 63-60 victory over NKU in the PAC Arena.
Ntumba scored 19 points and blocked five shots for Southern Indiana. McClure added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Screaming Eagles, who survived a late NKU rally to claim the No. 2 seed in the GLVC Tournament.
Southern Indiana held NKU to 29 percent shooting from the field in the first half to build a 12-point lead (35-23). The Norse, however, battled back in the second half and took a 60-59 lead on
Dennis Gagai's 3-pointer with 1:51 left. Southern Indiana, though, scored the game's final four points and survived a last-second 3-point attempt by
Tony Rack to pull out the win.
