Five Northern Kentucky University seniors stepped onto the floor in Regents Hall for the last time in an NKU uniform Monday night and defeated Bellarmine University 76-64. The seniors – Karyn Creager, Brittany Winner, Betsey Clark, Katie Butler and Karmen Graham – all contributed to the win.
“It’s kind of sad that this is our last game at home and I’m going to miss the great atmosphere. The fans are loyal; you can always go into the stands, after a win or a loss, and know that you will get the same reaction from them,” senior Betsey Clark said.
The Norse found themselves in a tug-o-war in the first half. They could’t get in and take control of the game like they wanted to. “We played hard, but not like we should have. I mean – we shot 70 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range, and 100 percent from the foul line, and we were still only up four points going into halftime,” Head Coach Nancy Winstel said.
The Norse had five players score in double-digits on. Leading the scoring effort was Angela Healy with 15, followed closely by Nicole Chiodi and Cassie Brannen, scoring 13 each. Rounding out effort was Karyn Creager and Brittany Winner, who each scored 11 points. Also contributing to the score was Katie Butler with 7 and Karmen Graham with 6 points.
The second half showed a Norse team continuing its hot hand from the field by shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and holding consistent from behind the arc and from the foul line.
“In the first half we had too many turnovers and couldn’t hold onto the ball, but in the second half we cut that out and we played much better basketball,” Winstel said.
“This is a good win and it was great to win on Senior Night,” Winstel said. Clark seconded her opinion of the win by saying, “It’s always nice to win, a win anytime is great, and it was definitely a great team win.”
With the rest of this year’s games happening on the road, the Norse look to continue its winning streak by going up against St. Joseph’s College Feb. 22, and then facing Indianapolis Feb. 24. “We are trying not to think about having to play on the road. We are going to prepare, and this team is only going to get better as the season goes on,” Winstel said.