Eshaunte "Bear" Jones buried six treys against Lewis on Thursday night.
Sat., Feb. 4
Somers, Wis. – DeSimone Gymnasium (2,120)
#15 NKU (16-4, 8-4 GLVC) at UW-Parkside (8-12, 1-11), 4 p.m.
NKU Radio/Internet: WQRT (1160 AM) & www.nkunorse.com
Series Record: NKU leads, 25-8
Last Meeting: NKU 87, UWP 60 (1-19-12)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University concludes its road trip Saturday with a game at Wisconsin-Parkside at 4 p.m.
NKU is 16-4 overall, 8-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse are ranked 15th nationally in the Division II poll. Wisconsin-Parkside is 8-12 overall, 1-11 in the GLVC.
THE SERIES: NKU owns a 25-8 lead in the all-time series with Wisconsin-Parkside. The Norse are 9-6 against the Rangers in DeSimone Gymnasium and have been victorious in their last two visits to Somers, Wis.
BALANCED ATTACK: Five NKU players scored in double figures Thursday night to lead the 15th-ranked Norse to a 76-70 win over Lewis in the Neil Carey Arena.
Eshaunte Jones finished with 20 points to lead NKU. Jones buried six 3-pointers and also grabbed six rebounds.
The Norse built a 21-point lead in the first half and survived a late Lewis rally that trimmed the NKU advantage to 71-68 in the final minute. NKU made five free throws in the final 29 seconds to hold on and snap a two-game losing streak.
DeAndre Nealy added 14 points and six blocks for NKU, which made 61.9 percent of its shots from the field.
Chad Jackson and
Ethan Faulkner each added 14 points, while
Jon Van Hoose scored 12.
SIZZLING START: NKU made its first seven shots from the field against Lewis and bolted out to an 18-4 lead on
Chad Jackson's dunk with 14:55 remaining in the first half.
STILL NO. 1: Norse senior guard
Jon Van Hoose remains No. 1 nationally in 3-pointers made per game at 3.8. Van Hoose has 75 treys this season and averages 13.4 points per contest. The NKU single-season record for 3-pointers made is 114, set by Craig Sanders during the 2000-01 campaign.
As a team, NKU leads the GLVC in 3-pointers made per game at 9.80.
FLYER SWATTER: NKU's
DeAndre Nealy, who blocked seven shots against Lewis on Jan. 21, added six more swats against the Flyers on Thursday night and increased his team-leading rejections total to 54 this season. The all-time NKU single-season record for blocked shots is 73, set by Patrick Holt during the 1985-86 campaign.
Nealy is No. 9 in the nation in blocked shots (2.7 bpg), and he is shooting 66.9 percent from the field. The 6-foot-6 senior also averages 10.1 points per game.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Norse head coach
Dave Bezold is 7-0 all-time in the Neil Carey Arena. Lewis has not beaten NKU in Romeoville, Ill., since Dec. 4, 2003. Thursday's game marked NKU's final visit to the Neil Carey Arena, as the Norse leave the GLVC for the Division I Atlantic Sun Conference after this season.
NKU is now 39-16 all-time against Lewis. The Norse have beaten the Flyers six straight times and won 13 of the past 14 meetings.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST UWP: Earlier this season on Jan. 19, NKU shot 59.3 percent from the floor and coasted to an 87-60 win over visiting Wisconsin-Parkside.
Eshaunte Jones drained a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 15 points for NKU, while teammate
Chad Jackson was 7-for-8 from the field and added 14 points.
NKU jumped out to a 14-4 lead and cruised into halftime with a 43-26 advantage. The Norse made 58.1 percent
