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Box Score (html)
Northern Kentucky (15-4, 8-3 GLVC): 64
at Southern Indiana (7-12, 1-10 GLVC): 52
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana women's basketball team suffered a 64-52 Great Lakes Valley Conference setback to East Division rival Northern Kentucky University Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center.
USI (7-12, 1-10 GLVC) struggled offensively in the opening period, shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor and 14.3 percent from three-point range, as it went into the break facing a 29-20 halftime deficit.
Northern Kentucky (15-4, 8-3 GLVC), meanwhile, benefitted from the perimeter shooting of senior guard Maria Bennett, who drained 4-of-7 from three-point range in the first half. Bennett scored 12 of her game-high tying 18 points in the first 20 minutes as the Norse, who used a 14-0 run to break an early 4-4 tie, jumped out to the nine-point halftime lead.
Following the intermission, the Screaming Eagles closed the gap to seven when freshman forward/center
Anna Hackert got a layup to fall a minute into the stanza.
The Norse, however, went on a quick 5-0 run, capped off by another three-pointer by Bennett, to extend their lead to 12 points less than two minutes later.
USI Women's Basketball vs NKU 01/28/2012 Gallery
Northern Kentucky, which committed just eight turnovers in the contest, used an 11-3 run later in the period to build a 50-32 advantage with just over 10 minutes remaining in the contest.
USI, which out-rebounded the Norse 40-31, used a 12-2 spurt in the later stages of the contest to trim a 19-point deficit to single digits with just under a minute to play, but that's as close as the Eagles would get as they suffered their second straight loss and their 11th in the last 13 games.
The Eagles were led by Hackert, who finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Senior guard/forward
Kristin Raker added nine points and nine rebounds, while freshman forward
Brooke Valentine chipped in six points and eight rebounds.
Northern Kentucky also got 18 points and eight rebounds from junior center Ellen Holton, while senior guard Casse Mogan added 13 points.
USI returns to action Thursday at 5:30 p.m. when it travels to Rensselaer, Indiana, to take on Saint Joseph's College in a rematch of USI's 58-55 win over the Pumas at the PAC last Saturday.
