Atlantic Sun Weekly Release |
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Sat., Nov. 23
Highland Heights, Ky. – The Bank of Kentucky Center (9,400)
NKU (4-3) vs. Miami (Ohio) (2-5)
Series Record: NKU leads, 6-5
Last Meeting: MU 63, NKU 52 (Nov. 12, 2012)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team returns home to host Miami (Ohio) at The Bank of Kentucky Center on Saturday at 7 p.m.
NKU is 4-3 after earning two victories at the RMU Thanksgiving Classic last weekend.
Kayla Thacker's 20 points led the Norse to a 71-62 victory over Robert Morris on Friday, while
Melody Doss scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in NKU's 70-61 victory over Tennessee Martin on Saturday.
Doss averaged 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds over the two wins to earn tournament most valuable player honors, while Thacker was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 14.5 points and going 16-for-18 from the free throw line.
Miami enters the contest 2-5 on the year after coming from behind for a 70-67 victory at Youngstown State on Wednesday evening. Hannah Robertson led the RedHawks with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Maddie McCallie added 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the 3-point arc.
Robertson and Nicole Anderson lead the RedHawks by averaging 13.1 and 10 points, respectively. Anderson has collected a team-high seven rebounds per game, while Robertson has dished out 16 assists and collected a team-high nine steals on the season.
Live stats, video and audio for Saturday's contest will be available at nkunorse.com.
LAST TIME AGAINST MIAMI: Courtney Osborn scored 14 of her 20 points in the second half as Miami pulled away for a 63-52 win over NKU on Nov. 12, 2012, at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio.
With the game tied at 42-all midway through the second half, Miami used a 9-2 run to build a 51-44 lead. NKU eventually cut the Miami lead to 53-50 on a basket by
Tiara Hopper with 2:16 remaining, but the RedHawks responded by scoring the next nine points – seven by Osborn – to extend their advantage to 62-50.
Kayla Thacker scored 16 points to lead the Norse, while
Kaitlyn Gerrety added 13 points. Gerrety collected four steals as the Norse forced Miami into 23 turnovers. Hopper added eight points and four rebounds.
NKU holds a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series with Miami.
AGAINST THE MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE: NKU is 9-7 all-time against members of the Mid-American Conference. Along with their winning record against Miami, the Norse hold winning records against Akron (1-0), Ball State (1-0) and Western Michigan (1-0). NKU is 0-1 against Bowling Green State and Kent State.
DOSS DOES IT AGAIN: On Monday,
Melody Doss was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week for the third time in four weeks after averaging 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game as NKU captured two wins at the RMU Thanksgiving Classic last week. She finished 7-for-11 (.636) from 3-point range and collected four assists, two blocked shots and two steals to earn the honor.
TOURNAMENT HONORS: For their efforts on the court at the RMU Thanksgiving Classic,
Melody Doss received most valuable player honors, while
Kayla Thacker earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
On Friday, Doss scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Norse defeated the host Colonials, 71-62, in the first game of the tournament. She added three assists and two steals while going 3-for-5 from behind the 3-point arc.
She followed with 23 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in NKU's 70-61 victory over Tennessee Martin, the Ohio Valley Conference West Division preseason favorite, on Saturday afternoon.
Thacker averaged 14.5 points and finished 16-for-18 from the free throw line over NKU's two wins last week. She scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half against Robert Morris, while going 3-for-6 from behind the 3-point arc and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. She also collected two steals and blocked one shot. On Saturday, Thacker added nine points and four assists.
CAREER NUMBERS: Five NKU players set career marks at the RMU Thanksgiving Classic last week.
Rianna Gayheart started the trend on Friday against Robert Morris when she pulled down a career-high seven rebounds.
Against Tennessee Martin,
Melody Doss grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds, while
Kaitlyn Gerrety scored 14 points to top her collegiate personal best.
Christine Roush's nine rebounds topped her career high, while
Kelley Wiegman scored a career-best six points against the Skyhawks.
SUCCESS AT THE LINE: The Norse are shooting 77 percent from the free-throw line as a team, led by
Melody Doss' 19-for-20 effort, to rank second in the Atlantic Sun.
As a reclassifying institution, NKU is not included in the national statistics rankings. However, if the Norse were able to be ranked, they would land 17th on the national list. Mercer's 79.2 percent from the charity stripe leads the Atlantic Sun and ranks seventh nationally.
71-POINT THRESHOLD: The Norse are continuing their success from last season when scoring 71 or more points with their 71-62 victory over Robert Morris at the RMU Thanksgiving Classic. This season, NKU is 2-0 when hitting the 71-point threshold, having defeated Cincinnati, 77-61, on Nov. 9. Last year, the Norse posted a perfect 6-0 mark when scoring 71 points or more.
FIRST-HALF SUCCESS: Entering Saturday night's contest, NKU is 3-0 on the year when leading at halftime. During the RMU Thanksgiving Classic, the Norse held a 38-29 advantage over the host Colonials on Friday at the break and a 34-30 lead over UT Martin. NKU also held a 35-27 advantage against Cincinnati before cruising to a 77-61 victory to start the season.
SATURDAY'S PROMOTION: Fans can redeem vouchers handed out at the Trick-or-Treat Trail during Coney Island's Fall-O-Ween Festival for free admission to Saturday's game against Miami.
The St. Ursula Academy dance team will be performing their competition hip hop routine, "Bring it Back," at the half. Also during the break, participants from the NKU Cheerleading Youth Cheer Camp will present a special routine to show off the skills they learned during camp.
