By Matt Humphrey
Special to the Enquirer

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - One and done just isn't good enough. Not for the Northern Kentucky women. Not for a group of seniors playing in their third NCAA Division II Elite Eight in four years. No, a one-game stay at St. Joseph Civic Arena won't do for this group.

NKU vs. WASHBURN

• When: 4 p.m. today. • Where: St. Joseph (Mo.) Civic Center. • Radio: WTSJ-AM (1050). • Records: NKU Norse 24-7; Washburn Lady Blues 30-3. • At stake: Berth in the women's Division II Final Four. The winner will play the survivor of the California (Pa.)-North Florida game at 7 p.m. Thursday. • Key players:   Washburn - Sr. F Crystal Walker (16.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg).   NKU - Sr. F Amy Mobley (15.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg).

They say a win against Washburn (30-3) today is a must. Anything less will be a disappointment.

And why not? This team won a national championship in 2000. These seniors remember what it's like to be champions.

"We made it this far and we want another ring," Northern Kentucky senior Bridget Flanagan said. "We know we can do it again."

The Norse (24-7) thought they could win it all last season, too, especially with forward Michelle Cottrell and her 19.7 points a game. But in a national quarterfinal in Rochester, Minn., South Dakota State defeated the Norse 68-67, winning on a free throw with 4.1 seconds left.

Flanagan says she's still not over that loss. Same goes with senior forward Amy Mobley, who missed a potential game-winning layup with 10 seconds left.

"It was a great game and it could've gone to either team," Mobley said, "but I took that shot too soon, and then they came down and got fouled."

The memory remains, but it won't be a driving force for Mobley and her teammates today. NKU coach Nancy Winstel said the past can be a motivator, but the Norse "need to concentrate on the present."

Recently the present has been more about survival than redemption. Many wrote off the Norse heading into the Great Lakes Regional, particularly after a 66-54 loss to Quincy in the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament.

But they avenged previous losses to Grand Valley State and Indianapolis to reach the regional championship game - against Quincy, no less. After trailing by as many as 16 points early in the second half, they came back to beat Quincy 64-61.

With 22 seconds left, Flanagan rebounded a Mobley miss and put NKU ahead for good. Winstel wants to see the same kind of intensity today.

"When we've been at our best this season, it has been difficult to defend us," Winstel said. "When we've been at our worst, anybody could've beaten us. It's been that kind of an up-and-down year."

The same can't be said for Washburn, which hails from Topeka, Kan. The Lady Blues have won 14 straight, breezing through their conference and regional tournaments.

But NKU has Washburn coach Ron McHenry more than a little worried. The Norse are No. 2 in the country in field goal percentage (.488) and No. 5 in 3-point percentage (.399).

"They're big, they're athletic and they can shoot the ball," said McHenry, whose Lady Blues are in their first Elite Eight since 1993. "They've got the ingredients that add up to a very good basketball team."