BlueHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Balanced scoring keyed Northern Kentucky University’s 78-59 win over Indianapolis Feb. 12 in Regents Hall.
Five NKU players scored in double figures as the Norse improved to 14-9 overall, 11-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Connie Myers poured in 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead NKU, while teammate Angela Healy added 11 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots.
“We’re a team, and we don’t center around one person,” NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said of the balanced attack. “We have to have everybody, and that is what happened tonight. And when that happened, I just thought we were really fun to watch tonight, which is great for them.”
The Norse held Indianapolis (17-6, 10-6 GLVC) to 29.2 percent shooting from the field in the first half and built a 33-20 lead at the break. Myers and Karyn Creager each scored seven points in the first half.
A 12-4 run early in the second half allowed NKU to build a 45-26 advantage with 15:05 remaining. Creager capped the spurt with a conventional three-point play.
Creager finished with 14 points and extended her school-record streak of consecutive made free throws to 24 for NKU, which led by as many as 22 points in the second half. Creager is atop the GLVC in free-throw shooting at .904.
“I think this has been our best game defensively and offensively,” Creager said. “We came out, and we were intense. We denied well, and our defense is what got our offense going.”
Elizabeth Burrows scored 13 points and had four assists for NKU, while Sarah Woods added 10 points and three assists. NKU shot 50 percent from the field and made 16-of-22 free throws to avenge an early-season loss at Indianapolis.
“I think we were 0-4, and we hadn’t won a game,” Burrows said of the earlier loss at Indianapolis. “Our confidence was down. Our goal is to get into the NCAA tournament, and we are trying our best to do that.
“We know that each and every game is just vital. I think we are playing with more confidence now. We have (Karmen Graham) back, and she was only able to play a few minutes, but she just works so hard that every time she is out there is a plus.”
Brittany Winner added eight points and three steals for NKU, which forced Indianapolis into 15 turnovers. The Norse also won the rebounding battle by a 35-31 margin.
Indianapolis was led by Sara Riedeman’s 15 points.
NKU is tied for third place in the GLVC standings with Bellarmine and Lewis. The Norse will play at Wisconsin-Parkside, which is in second place in the GLVC with a 12-5 record, at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 17.
“It scares me to death because we beat Parkside, so they are going to be really fired up for us,” Winstel said. “Lewis is going to be all fired up for us. Everybody is battling for positioning, and then we have Quincy at home, which will be tough. (Missouri-St. Louis) is going to be tough because they are playing and have a lot of young players.”
NKU is ninth in the latest NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region rankings, while Indianapolis is sixth. The top eight teams in that poll will advance to the NCAA Tournament in March.
NKU has earned six consecutive berths in the NCAA Tournament.
*Article by Sports Information