Maryville's Shelby Miller (right) drives against NKU.
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Northern Kentucky University's final appearance in the women's basketball Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament ended with a thud Thursday night.
Maryville freshman guard Shelby Miller tied a GLVC Tournament record with 34 points as the Saints upset No. 25 NKU, 80-70, in the quarterfinals. Miller poured in 26 points in the first half as Maryville (17-11) built a 47-28 lead at the break, and the Saints held off a late NKU rally to advance to the semifinals against top-seeded Quincy.
Casse Mogan scored 23 points to lead NKU, which dropped to 21-6. The Norse had jumped to third in the latest Midwest Region poll, but Maryville scorched the nets for 58.6 percent shooting from the field in the first half and led by as many as 23 points.
Miller, who was named GLVC Freshman of the Year earlier this week, was 9-for-10 from the field in the first half and buried a trio of 3-pointers as the Saints built the huge lead. NKU limited Miller to eight points in the second half, and the Norse eventually cut the Maryville advantage to 66-62 when
Maria Bennett knocked down a 3-pointer with 4:21 remaining.
Maryville countered with back-to-back conventional three-point plays from Kate Childs and JoAnn Thompson to extend its lead to 72-62 with 3:20 left. NKU – which had won GLVC Tournament championships in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2009 – could do little more in the closing minutes than watch as the Saints celebrated the huge upset.
Ellen Holton added 17 points for NKU, which shot 41.4 percent from the field. Mogan grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Norse, while
Jaimie Hamlet dished out six assists. The Norse had won five consecutive games going into Thursday.
NKU is now 2-1 all-time against Maryville, which joined the GLVC three years ago. Miller's 34-point performance tied the GLVC Tournament mark shared by Bellarmine's Lyndsey Neal (2003) and Ellen Young (2011).
The NCAA Division II Tournament bracket will be announced Sunday night. The GLVC Tournament winner receives an automatic berth in the event. Ashland (26-1) is expected to be the top seed and host for the Midwest Regional, which will be played March 9-12.
NKU was sixth in last week's poll. The GLVC and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament winners receive automatic berths, and six at-large teams will also be selected for the Midwest Regional.
