Northern Kentucky University Athletics

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – A pair of 20-game winners collide Saturday at 3 p.m. as No. 15 Northern Kentucky University plays host to No. 11 Southern Indiana in The Bank of Kentucky Center.

NKU is 20-4 overall, 12-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Southern Indiana is also 20-4 overall, 12-4 in the GLVC. The Norse and Screaming Eagles are tied for second place in the GLVC East Division standings, and the winner of Saturday's game will clinch a bye in the upcoming GLVC Tournament.

Southern Indiana defeated top-ranked Bellarmine, 75-72, on Thursday night. NKU, meanwhile, knocked off No. 12 Kentucky Wesleyan, 67-55, in Owensboro, Ky.

THE SERIES: Southern Indiana owns a 48-18 lead in the all-time series against NKU and has beaten the Norse three consecutive times. The Screaming Eagles walked out of The Bank of Kentucky Center with a 76-63 victory over NKU last season.

Earlier this season in Evansville, Ind., Southern Indiana rallied from a 19-point deficit to stun NKU in the final seconds, 69-68.

ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON: NKU reached the 20-win mark for the fifth time in the past six years with a 67-55 victory at Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday night. The Norse have won at least 20 games 14 times in the program's history.

IN THE BANK: NKU is 52-6 all-time in The Bank of Kentucky Center, with all six losses coming against GLVC opponents. Bellarmine (twice), Southern Indiana, Quincy, Wisconsin-Parkside and Kentucky Wesleyan have defeated NKU in the 9,400-seat arena, which opened in 2008.

PAYBACK IS SWEET: NKU coasted to a 67-55 win at No. 12 Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday night. The Norse avenged an earlier 74-57 setback to the Panthers by building a 20-point lead and coasting to the road victory in their final trip to the Owensboro Sportscenter.

Eshaunte Jones scored 15 points to lead NKU, which is fifth in the Midwest Region poll. Kentucky Wesleyan is No. 2 in the Midwest Region poll. 

BEZOLD DOES IT AGAIN: NKU head coach Dave Bezold has led his team to at least 20 wins five times in his first eight seasons. The Norse have also advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament four times under Bezold and are aiming for their fifth trip to that event.

NEARING HISTORY: NKU senior center DeAndre Nealy finished with three blocked shots against Kentucky Wesleyan, bringing his season's total to 71 rejections. The all-time NKU single-season record for blocked shots is 73, set by Patrick Holt during the 1985-86 campaign.

Nealy, who has twice this season blocked a Norse single-game record eight shots, leads the GLVC in shooting from the field at 65.1 percent. The Detroit, Mich., native is No. 2 in the GLVC in blocked shots (2.96 bpg) and No. 6 nationally in that category.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST USI: On Jan. 28, Lawrence Thomas made a driving layup with two seconds remaining to give Southern Indiana a 69-68 victory over NKU in Evansville, Ind. The Screaming Eagles erased a 12-point deficit in the final 3:43 to pull out the improbable win.

NKU built a 19-point lead in the first half and still owned a 65-53 advantage with 3:43 left in the game, but Southern Indiana used a game-ending 16-3 run to pull out the win.

Thomas scored six points in the final 28 seconds, including his winning field goal.

Chad Jackson led NKU with 15 points and nine rebounds. Ethan Faulkner added 13 points and teammate Jalen Billups scored 10. Billups came off the bench in the first half and powered in eight points as NKU took a 39-24 lead at intermission. The Screaming Eagles, however, shot 62.1 percent from the field in the second half of that game to pull out the win.

NO. 1 BELLARMINE NEXT: NKU closes out the regular season next Thursday night by hosting top-ranked Bellarmine at 7:30 p.m.