Jan. 19, 2006

Box Score

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky gained control with a late 9-2 run, then kept Lewis at bay with free throws in the waning moments to escape with a 59-54 Great Lakes Valley Conference win Thursday night.

A free throw by the Flyers' Clinton Joshua provided the game's 10th tie, 46-46, with 6:48 to play. But NKU (11-5, 6-2 GLVC) held Lewis (10-6, 4-4) to just two free throws during the next 5:38 while taking a 55-48 lead.

The Flyers still were very much in the game, however, after baskets by Stephan Bolt and Brandon Dagans sliced the Norse margin to 55-52 with 23 seconds left.

NKU's Kevin Schappell sank a pair of free throws to make it 57-52 with 17 seconds to play. Dagans rebounded Pat Monaghan (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd)'s missed 3-pointer and scored a layup to cut the Norse lead to just three again, but Schappell made two more free throws to secure the victory.

Northern Kentucky scored the first five points of the game and kept Lewis off the scoreboard for almost three minutes, but the Flyers came roaring back with a 22-10 spurt that gave them a 22-15 lead at the 9:42 mark of the first half. Six different players scored during the run and four drilled 3-pointers, including two by Branden Hunter.

The teams then traded offensive outbursts. First, NKU outscored Lewis 12-3 to take a 27-25 halftime edge. The Flyers responded by storming out of the locker room with a 13-4 run, featuring points from five players and capped by a Monaghan trey, to grab a 38-31 lead with 13:28 remaining.

Mark Hawkins hit consecutive 3-pointers and Harrison Morton added a trey to put NKU back on top, 40-38. Four lead changes and three ties followed before the Norse assembled their decisive 9-2 run.

Monaghan led all players with 14 points, and Hunter had 12 points (3-of-4 from 3-point distance) and a game-high three steals. Bolt collected a team-high six rebounds for the Flyers, who held an opponent to fewer than 60 points for a fifth time this season.

Billy Finnell paced NKU, ranked fourth in this week's NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll, with 12 points. Finnell and Travis Rasso grabbed a game-high seven rebounds apiece and Gavin Ludgood had six rebounds as the Norse earned a 35-25 advantage on the glass. Rasso registered four blocked shots.

The Flyers, who travel to Bellarmine Saturday, committed just 11 turnovers while forcing 18 NKU miscues.