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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. –
Kayla Thacker scored five points in the final 21 seconds of the game to lift Northern Kentucky to a 73-68 victory over Stetson on Saturday in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
Stetson held a 68-67 lead after Victoria McGowan made a 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining, but Thacker answered with a trey from out front to give Northern Kentucky a 70-68 advantage. McGowan's long 3-point attempt was off the mark on Stetson's next possession, and Thacker grabbed the rebound with 10 seconds left.
Thacker was fouled and made a pair of free throws to extend the Norse advantage to 72-68.
Christine Roush added a free throw with two seconds remaining for the final margin as Northern Kentucky avenged a 62-39 loss at Stetson on Jan. 21.
"Our kids kept their composure and did a great job of making big shots, and Stetson is an outstanding team," Northern Kentucky head coach
Dawn Plitzuweit said. "Kayla stepped up and buried a huge 3-pointer, and then she made the clutch free throws. It was a great win and our kids earned it."
Northern Kentucky improved to 11-11 overall, 8-5 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Stetson dropped to 18-7 overall, 11-3 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Thacker finished with 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, while teammates
Tiara Hopper and
Ellen Holton each scored 15 points. Hopper also grabbed eight rebounds and had three assists. Roush added 13 points and five rebounds for the Norse, who rallied from a 62-55 deficit in the final 6:02 of the game with an 18-6 spurt.
McGowan paced Stetson with 23 points, while Shanasa Sanders added 18 points. The Hatters shot 46.3 percent from the field but were just 9-for-18 at the free-throw line.
Northern Kentucky won the rebounding battle by a 39-26 margin and made 48.2 percent of its shots from the field. The Norse were 12-for-16 at the free-throw line and improved to 10-0 this season when leading at halftime.
Northern Kentucky is now 59-9 all-time in The Bank of Kentucky Center, including 7-2 this season.
The Norse donned their pink uniforms on Saturday as part of the “Pink Zone” initiative, which has raised the public's awareness for breast cancer, as well as a significant amount of donations for women's cancer research.
The Norse need three victories to extend their streak of consecutive winning seasons to 30 straight. Since an 0-4 start in its first Division I campaign, Northern Kentucky has posted an 11-7 record.
The Norse meet A-Sun powerhouse Florida Gulf Coast on Monday at 7 p.m. in The Bank of Kentucky Center. Florida Gulf Coast is 21-5 overall and is unbeaten (14-0) in A-Sun play.
Earlier this season in Fort Myers, Fla., Florida Gulf Coast defeated Northern Kentucky, 79-50. The Eagles made 15 shots from 3-point range in that victory over the Norse.
