NKU held off Rockhurst in a defensive battle on Saturday.
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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – A defensive battle was expected, and that's exactly what took place Saturday when Northern Kentucky University and Rockhurst met in a Great Lakes Valley Conference clash.
In the end, senior guard
Casse Mogan proved to be the difference for NKU.
Mogan scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead NKU to a 52-47 victory over Rockhurst in The Bank of Kentucky Center. Mogan also finished 12-for-12 at the free-throw line as NKU improved to 10-2 overall, 3-1 in the GLVC.
The Norse held Rockhurst to 31.4 percent shooting from the field and extended their winning streak to six. NKU converted 23-for-26 (88.5 percent) from the charity stripe to hold off the visiting Hawks, who dropped to 3-8 overall, 1-3 GLVC.
During its current six-game winning streak, NKU has held the opposition to less than 50 points in each contest. The Norse defense allows just 47.6 points per game, which is No. 1 nationally in NCAA Division II.
Mogan scored 15 points in the first half, but NKU shot just 28.6 percent from the field and settled for a 23-19 lead at the break. The Norse held Rockhurst to 29.2 percent shooting from the field during the opening half.
After Rockhurst tied the game at 42-all with 6:33 remaining,
Tiara Hopper converted a layup off an assist from Mogan to give NKU the lead for good at 44-42. The Norse made five free throws in the final two minutes to seal the win.
Ellen Holton scored 11 points for NKU, which is now 798-302 all-time. The Norse won despite shooting 35.1 percent from the field and losing the rebounding battle by a 31-30 margin.
Mogan moved past both Jennifer Lyons and Angela Healy into 16th place on the NKU all-time scoring list with 1,280 career points. She also added two steals and a pair of blocked shots.
NKU is now 7-0 all-time against Rockhurst. NKU is 4-0 all-time at home against Rockhurst, and 3-0 on the road.
NKU hits the road for its next three games, beginning Thursday night in Rolla, Mo., against Missouri S&T. The Norse continue the trip Saturday with a game at Drury in Springfield, Mo.
NKU wraps up the trip Jan. 16 with a contest at in-state rival Bellarmine in Knights Hall.
