Atlantic Sun Weekly Release |
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Sun., Dec. 15
Indianapolis, Ind. – Hinkle Fieldhouse (10,000)
NKU (4-4) vs. Butler (4-5)
Series Record: Series tied 1-1
Last Meeting: BU 66, NKU 56 (Dec. 16, 2012)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team hits the road for the first of two games in Indianapolis, Ind., as the Norse face Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
NKU is 4-4 after dropping a 76-66 decision to Miami (Ohio) on Saturday evening at The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Melody Doss scored 16 of her team-high 20 points in the second half to lead the Norse. She grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots on the night, while
Kayla Thacker added 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Christine Roush finished with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting, and
Kelley Wiegman and
Sarah Kinch each added eight points for NKU.
Butler holds a 4-5 record on the year after defeating Valparaiso, 65-50, on Friday night. Taylor Schippers scored a game-high 21 points and collected five assists and two steals to lead Butler. She finished 7-for-10 from the floor, including a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range, while Daress McClung posted her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Three players are averaging double figures for Butler, led by McClung's 16 points per game. Liz Stratman follows closely behind by averaging 15.4 points, and Schippers is adding 11.8 points per contest for the Bulldogs. McClung is pulling down a team-high eight rebounds per game, while Stratman averages 5.9 and Schippers has dished out a team-high 38 assists.
Live stats, video and audio for Sunday's contest will be available at nkunorse.com.
LAST TIME AGAINST BUTLER: Daress McClung and Liz Stratman combined for 29 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocked shots on Dec. 7, 2012 as Butler posted a 66-56 win at NKU. McClung finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks, while Stratman added 14 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots.
Taylor Schippers chipped in 12 points and dished out five assists for Butler, which evened the series with NKU at 1-all. The only other meeting between the two programs came on March 1, 1984, when the Norse posted a 91-56 victory in Regents Hall.
Butler used a 14-3 run early in the second half to build a 43-28 lead. McClung scored a pair of baskets and also assisted on two other scores during that spurt for the Bulldogs, who shot 50 percent from the field in the second half.
NKU sliced the Butler lead to single digits several times, but the Norse could get no closer than six points the rest of the way.
Ellen Holton led the Norse with 13 points, while
Jaimie Hamlet added 10 points and five assists. Both finished with seven rebounds, while
Kayla Thacker pulled down a then-career-high nine rebounds to go along with eight points.
AGAINST THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE: NKU holds a 6-3 record against teams in the Big East Conference. In addition to the series between NKU and Butler being tied at one, the Norse have won five out of their seven meetings against Xavier. The last meeting between the two programs came on Feb. 21, 1989, as NKU defeated Xavier, 64-43, in Regents Hall.
CONTINUED SUCCESS AT THE LINE: After going 5-for-7 from the free-throw line against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday evening, the Norse moved into first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference in free-throw percentage, connecting on 76.8 percent of their attempts from the charity stripe this season.
As a reclassifying institution, NKU is not included in the national statistics rankings. However, if the Norse were able to be ranked, they would have moved up two spots from last week and would land 15th on the national list.
Melody Doss leads conference, shooting 95 percent (19-for-20) from the free throw line, and would rank fifth nationally. She is followed by
Christine Roush, who has gone 17-for-19 (.895) for the Norse, in second place. Roush would be tied for 39th in the country if NKU players were able to be ranked.
TOP TWO IN 3-POINT FIELD GOALS: NKU's
Melody Doss and
Christine Roush also lead the way for both the Atlantic Sun and the Norse from behind the 3-point arc. Doss has connected on 55.6 percent (15-for-27) of her attempts from 3-point range, while Roush is shooting 52.6 percent (10-for-19).
TWO IN THE TOP 10: NKU has two players in the Atlantic Sun's top 10 in scoring average.
Melody Doss once again leads the way, averaging 21 points, while
Kayla Thacker's 13.6 average ranks seventh within the conference.
DISHING IT AWAY: Rianna Gayheart has dished out a team-high 27 assists through the first eight games for the Norse, including a season-high five against Robert Morris to open the RMU Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 29. Her 3.4 assists per game ranks fourth in the Atlantic Sun. Mercer's Sharnea Boykin tops the league, having collected 63 assists on the year and is averaging seven assists per game.
CAREER NIGHT: Kelley Wiegman bested her career-high totals in three categories against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday evening. Her eight points topped her previous high of six set against Tennessee Martin on Nov. 30. She also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, one more than her former best of six at Youngstown State on Nov. 20, and she dished out four assists, which broke her collegiate record of three set in the first game of the season against Cincinnati on Nov. 9.
