Thursday, February 21, 2013

MACON, GA – Northern Kentucky Head Men's Basketball Coach Dave Bezold is the next guest on the Atlantic Sun Insider segment on FOX Sports 1670 AM, Friday, February 22.

Bezold joins hosts Daniel Shirley and Charles Olson on the The Insider segment, which airs at approximately 8:34 a.m. He owns a 40-25 record in the month of February during his career and is 170-93 in nine seasons at NKU, reaching the 170-win mark faster than any previous Norse head coach.

NKU is in the midst of a two-game A-Sun road swing in the state of Georgia this week, as the Norse picked up a road win, 64-54, over Kennesaw State Thursday. The Norse conclude the road trip Saturday with a game at Mercer in Macon, Ga., with the tip scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Northern Kentucky enters this week with an 9-14 overall record, 7-8 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Mercer is currently 19-9 overall, and the Bears are atop the A-Sun standings with a 12-3 mark.

Senior guard Eshaunte Jones enters Saturday's game with Mercer with 951 points as a collegiate player. Jones scored a total of 287 points in two years at Nebraska, and he now has 664 points in two seasons with Northern Kentucky.

He leads the Norse in scoring at 15.8 points per game, which is sixth in the Atlantic Sun Conference. He is also second in the A-Sun in 3-pointers made per game (3.2) and is sixth in 3-point shooting percentage (.395). In conference-only games, Jones is No. 3 in the A-Sun in scoring at 17.4 points per contest. He also also made 50 shots from 3-point range (3.6 per game) during A-Sun play. Jones has scored in double figures in seven of the past eight games and has netted at least 20 points six times this season, including a career-high 26 points in a win over Mercer. Jones has scored in double figures 17 times this season.

The Norse are No. 2 in the A-Sun in points allowed per game at 61.4 and fourth in field-goal percentage defense at .434. With the 64 points in the win over KSU, the Norse are 7-2 this season when scoring at least 60 points, but 2-12 when netting below 60 points.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is partnering with the local Fox Sports 1670 AM as a part of its promotional efforts of men’s and women’s basketball leading up to the 2013 General Shale Atlantic Sun Basketball Championships, March 6-9, at Hawkins Arena on the campus of Mercer University.

Included in the partnership, The Atlantic Sun Insider is a regular segment to highlight weekly A-Sun action on the Friday edition of “The Morning Show” with Shirley and Olson. A regular schedule of radio commercials also run during the station’s local and syndicated shows, and additional coverage will include live broadcasts during the championships from the University Center on the station’s local afternoon show, “The Bill Shanks Show.”

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun footprint reaches into seven of the top media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, Northern Kentucky University, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.