Gaerke's last-second shot sinks unbeaten St. Joseph’s, NKU pulls out 82-80 victory
___________________ (This story was originally published on Feb. 22, 1990) HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Hitting a last-second shot to beat an undefeated opponent is a basketball player's dream. Northern Kentucky University’s Valerie Gaerke lived out that dream on Thursday night in Regents Hall. “I knew time was running down, and it was either going into overtime or we would get the last shot and win the game,” Gaerke said of her short jumper with one second remaining that gave the Lady Norse a heart-stopping 82-80 win over previously unbeaten St. Joseph’s. “I didn't want to make another pass, so I drove in, put it up and luckily, it went in.” In doing so, the 5-foot-10 sophomore from Ft. Recovery, Ohio, ended the Lady Pumas’ 24-game winning-streak and boosted Northern's record to 17-7, 10-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. St. Joseph’s dropped to 24-1, 14-1 in the GLVC. Gaerke finished the game with only five points, but the sophomore wasn't 100 percent, either. “We wer...