Mike Kelsey has 1,362 career points

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team will hit the road for a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference games this week, starting with an 8:30 p.m. Thursday contest at Southern Illinois at Edwardsville.

SIUE (16-3 overall) enters Thursday's game ranked No. 7 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. The Cougars also are in first place in the GLVC standings with a 9-1 record.

NKU will conclude the road trip Saturday with a 4:15 p.m. game at Quincy.

NKU improved to 9-8 overall last Saturday with a 101-86 win over Wisconsin-Parkside. The Norse are 5-6 in the GLVC.

KELSEY NEARS 11TH PLACE: NKU senior guard Mike Kelsey added 17 points against Wisconsin-Parkside and upped his career scoring total to 1,362. He currently is 12th in NKU history for career points.

Kelsey needs just six points to pass Chris Wall (1,367 points) for 11th place on the NKU all-time scoring list. Jeff Stowers is 10th in Norse history with 1,410 career points. Kelsey enters Thursday’s game averaging a team-leading 13.6 points per game.

AN EARLY SENIOR DAY: NKU started five seniors against Wisconsin-Parkside last Saturday, and the experienced lineup paid huge dividends. In addition to Cary and Kelsey, senior guard Steve Purdon scored 14 points and made four three-point shots for NKU.

Senior point guard Jordan Stowers, who leads the GLVC in assist-to-turnover ratio, finished with seven points, six assists and six rebounds. He combined with fellow senior Sean Rowland for 12 assists, 11 points and just three turnovers.

ABOUT SIUE: The Cougars feature six players who averages at least eight points per game. SIUE is led in scoring by senior forward Tim Bauersachs, who averages 11.8 ppg. Senior forward Joel Jaye is scoring 11.3 ppg, while senior center Dan Heimos averages 10.5 ppg and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds.

SIUE leads the GLVC in scoring defense at 58.3 ppg. Heimos is No. 1 in the GLVC in blocked shots with 2.58 bpg.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST SIUE: Earlier this season on Dec. 11 in Regents Hall, Dan Heimos scored 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked six shots as SIUE defeated NKU, 65-59.

Heimos also made a pair of key baskets in the second half as the Cougars held off an NKU rally to escape with the victory. Joel Jaye added 15 points and five rebounds as the Cougars shot 59.1 percent from the field and won for the second straight season in Regents Hall.

Kelsey led NKU with 18 points, while Derek Smith added 12 points and five rebounds.

THE LAST TIME AGAINST QUINCY: On Jan. 15, 2004, Jamal Thompson scored 15 points and dished out four assists as Quincy defeated NKU, 68-57, at the Pepsi Arena. Todd Lorenson came off the bench and added 14 points as Quincy won for just the second time in 18 meetings in the all-time series with NKU. Cory Cummens finished with 11 points for the Hawks.