Michelle Cottrell drives to the basket against pressure from Delta State's Katrina King. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — When Northern Kentucky University senior forward Michelle Cottrell walked off the court in Regents Hall Friday night, all she could think about was the bittersweet taste in her mouth.

        Visiting Delta State upset the top-ranked Norse 64-51 in the Community Recorder Classic Championship in Regents Hall, overshadowing Cottrell's chase to break the NKU career scoring record. The Norse (8-1) are ranked No.1 in NCAA Division II.

        Cottrell needed 13 points to pass the 1,883-point milestone set by Peggy Vincent from 1975-1979. She finished with 15 points, but the stifling Delta State defense warded off NKU all night and prevented Cottrell from hitting the mark until only 7:34 was left on the clock.

        “Breaking the record is a nice thing to do, but it's hard when you're trailing,” Cottrell said. “I was more concerned with trying to catch up and take the lead.”

        Delta State controlled the scoreboard most of the game, leading by six points at intermission and expanding the spread to as many as 16 points in the second half with the help of five players in double digits.

        Norse coach Nancy Winstel said her team's poor shooting, coupled with the stringent Delta man-to-man coverage, forced NKU into situations it wasn't accustomed to. NKU shot 17-of-68 from the field and was 0-of-14 from 3-point range.

        “We rushed our shots,” Winstel said. “If you left us in here all night I'm not sure some of us could make those shots. They came out and outplayed us, out-hustled us and outguarded us.”

        Cottrell was in foul trouble early, sat out for six minutes in the first half and played a total of 26 minutes. When she was on the court, she struggled with Delta's defense and her own 6-19 shooting from the field.

        “Their post players were really active and strong. When they put their hands up, it was really hard to shoot over them,” she said.

        Cottrell fouled out with 5:15 to play, finishing with 15 points, 15 rebounds, her 42nd career double-double and 1,886 career points.

NKU head coach Nancy Winstel consoles Michelle Cottrell. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        Delta State coach Lloyd Clark didn't know his team snapped the Norse's 31-game winning streak, nor did he place much weight on NKU's incoming 8-0 record. But he did tell his players to be ready for the clock to stop when Cottrell hit her 13th point.

        “We expected her to break the record because she's such a great player. We still remember when she tore us up as a freshman,” Clark said. “Whey you're playing against one of the top players in the country, you have to be concerned.”

        The Norse made a comeback bid late in the second half, cutting the deficit to five points, but Delta didn't allow them to come any closer.

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