Friday, February 18, 2000
NKU 85, St. Joseph's 71
BY MARK SCHMETZER
Enquirer contributor
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — The Northern Kentucky University men's sharpshooters normally bury 3-point shots, but the Norse were having trouble finding the mark Thursday night.
Luckily for NKU, Scott Marston and Craig Conley picked the right time to regain their touch.
Conley scored 20 points, including eight during NKU's 10-0 run to open the second half, and Marston added 13 to lead the Norse to an 85-71 win over St. Joseph's (Ind.) in Great Lakes Valley Conference action at Regents Hall.
Conley and Marston also tied for the team lead with six rebounds each, and Conley handed out a game-high four assists.
“He certainly gave us a spark,” NKU coach Ken Shields said. “He really pushed us, and Marston came off the bench and got some things done.”
NKU (22-4, 14-3), which is ranked No. 22 in NCAA Division II, extended its home-court winning streak to 15 over two seasons, including 13-0 this season. A win in Saturday's home finale against Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne would give the Norse their first unbeaten home record since going 13-0 in the 1994-1995 season.
NKU missed its first 11 3-point shots while falling behind the Pumas (6-17, 2-15), 21-10, with 8:45 left in the first half. Freshman guard Brendan Stow ers got the Norse on track with a 3-pointer from the right wing with 1:56 left in the half, and Marston followed with five straight points to help NKU take a 33-31 halftime lead.
NKU shot 39 percent from the field for the game.
“That's probably the worst we've shot at home in a couple of years,” Shields said. “That puts you in a difficult position. We had to labor to get to halftime.
“It's hard to shoot well and play well every night, but we survived. We're glad we got it, and we'll go from there.”
ST. JOSEPH'S (6-17, 2-15) — Yates 2-5 2-2 6, Hallenbeck 4-6 6-6 16, Crosby 1-3 1-2 3, Mason 3-9 2-2 9, J. Smith 1-3 0-0 2, Soltero 0-0 1-2 1, H. Smith 1-5 2-2 4, Metzger 0-0 2-2 2, Taylor 1-1 1-2 3, Johnson 6-8 5-6 17, Dees 1-4 6-8 8, George 0-0 0-2 0. Totals: 20-44 28-36 71.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY (22-4, 14-3) — Sanders 3-11 1-1 9, Brewster 1-1 3-6 5, Wieber 1-5 0-0 2, Lawhon 1-8 2-2 5, Listgerman 0-3 9-10 9, Conley 5-10 8-8 20, Perdrix 0-2 0-0 0, Schaefer 1-1 0-0 2, Stowers 2-4 4-4 9, Murphy 0-0 0-0 0, Rupe 3-3 0-0 6, Norwell 2-4 1-2 5, Marston 4-7 3-4 13. Totals: 23-59, 31-37 85.
Halftime score: Northern Kentucky 33, St. Joseph's 31.
3-point field goals: St. Joseph's 3-11 (Hallenbeck 2-3, Mason 1-4, J. Smith 0-2, H. Smith 0-1). Northern Kentucky 8-26 (Sanders 2-9, Lawhon 1-5, Listerman 0-1, Conley 2-5, Perdriz 0-1, Stowers 1-2, Marston 2-3). Fouled out: Taylor (St. Joseph's). Rebounds: St. Joseph's 33 (Hallenbeck 8), Northern Kentucky 36 (Conley, Marston 6). Assists: St. Joseph's 8 (Hallenbeck, Metzger, Dees 2), Northern Kentucky 10 (Conley 4). Technical foul: Hallenbeck (St. Joseph's). Total fouls: St. Joseph's 33, Northern Kentucky 26. Attendance: 831 813.
Women
• NKU 100, St. Joseph's 75 — Michelle Cottrell became the first Northern Kentucky women's sophomore to reach the 1,000 career-point level as she scored 17.
Cottrell pulled in a game-high 12 rebounds to record her ninth double-double of the season. Heather Livingstone led for Norse players in double figures with 18 points.
NKU improved to 21-2 overall and 16-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Angie Hupfer scored 29 points for St. Joseph's (6-17, 4-13).
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