Atlantic Sun Weekly Release |
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Sat., Jan. 11
Highland Heights, Ky. – The Bank of Kentucky Center (9,400)
NKU (7-7 overall, 3-0 A-Sun) vs. Kennesaw State (4-10 overall, 2-1 A-Sun)
Series Record: NKU leads 2-0
Last Meeting: NKU 55, KSU 49 (Feb. 25, 2013)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team puts its winning streak on the line Saturday as the Norse welcome Kennesaw State to The Bank of Kentucky Center for an Atlantic Sun Conference matchup at 7 p.m.
NKU improved to 7-7 overall and remained perfect in the Atlantic Sun (3-0) with a 72-61 home victory over Mercer Thursday night.
Melody Doss, the reigning Atlantic Sun Player of the Week, scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the way for NKU, while equaling her career high with five blocked shots and finishing perfect (6-for-6) from the free-throw line.
Kennesaw State is 4-10 on the year and 2-1 in the Atlantic Sun after defeating Lipscomb, 82-78, Thursday evening in Nashville, Tenn. Kristina Wells posted Kennesaw State's first triple-double since the Owls' transitioned to Division I in the fall of 2005 with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Deandrea Sawyers recorded 24 points and Bria Young added 12 points.
Wells leads Kennesaw State on the year by averaging 13.9 points and nine rebounds per game followed by Sawyers' 13 point average. Wells has collected a team-high 24 steals, 41 assists and six blocked shots, while Sawyers ranks second in the Atlantic Sun with 34 made 3-point field goals for an average of 2.4 per game.
Links to live stats, the ASun.TV broadcast and Andrew Kappes' audio broadcast will be available at nkunorse.com.
LAST TIME AGAINST KENNESAW STATE: NKU used a 24-2 run in the first half to rally from an early 10-point deficit, and the Norse held on for a 55-49 win over Kennesaw State in the last meeting between the two schools on Feb. 25, 2013, in Kennesaw, Ga.
Kayla Thacker scored six of her 13 points in the final two minutes and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for NKU, while
Ellen Holton added 13 points and was 6-for-11 from the field, added two blocks and grabbed six rebounds for the Norse.
Kennesaw State started the game by making seven of its first 10 shots from the field to build a 17-7 lead. Kristina Wells scored seven points for the Owls during that early spurt.
NKU responded with a 24-2 run – including 16 unanswered points during one stretch – to take a 31-19 lead late in the first half.
Christine Roush scored eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to spark the Norse run.
Rianna Gayheart came off the bench and also keyed the first-half spurt with six points, four rebounds and two assists. Kennesaw State missed 13 consecutive shots from the field after jumping out to the early lead.
Sametria Gideon's basket just before halftime finally ended the drought for the Owls, who also committed nine turnovers during the opening 20 minutes.
Kennesaw State battled back in the second half and cut the Norse lead to one point three times, the last at 45-44 on a basket by Wells. Gayheart countered that by driving down the lane for a layup to extend the Norse advantage to 47-44.
Thacker converted a pair of free throws with 1:50 left in the game to extend the Norse lead to 49-44. After Kennesaw State cut the lead back to three points, Thacker grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with 55 seconds remaining to give the Norse a 51-46 edge.
Thacker sealed the win by making a pair of free throws with 17.6 seconds left on the clock and finished 9-for-10 at the charity stripe.
Gayheart finished with 11 points for the Norse, while Wells led Kennesaw State with 19 points and Gideon added 13 points.
BALANCED SCORING: Melody Doss, who finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds on Thursday against Mercer, led five players in double figures for NKU.
Christine Roush poured in 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor, while
Kayla Thacker scored 13 points.
Lauren White finished with 12 points, and
Kelley Wiegman added 10 points for the Norse. The last time NKU had five players score 10 or more points was in a 76-71 overtime victory against Jacksonville on March 2, 2013.
Through the first three Atlantic Sun games of the season, NKU boasts five players averaging in double figures in conference play. Doss leads the Norse with an average of 19.7 points per game followed by Thacker, who is adding 12 points against conference opponents. White has averaged 11.7 points, while Roush and Wiegman are each averaging 11.3 points through the start of Atlantic Sun action.
CAREER NUMBERS: Melody Doss,
Lauren White and
Kelley Wiegman put up career highs against Mercer Thursday night. Doss equaled her career best with five blocked shots, including four in the second half to hold off a rally by the Bears. She also rejected five attempts against Youngstown State on Nov. 20. Prior to this season, her previous career high was four, set as a freshman against Indianapolis on Dec. 3, 2011.
White tied her best rebounding effort with six boards. The freshman guard from Edwardsville, Ill., previously pulled down the same number against Western Kentucky at The Bank of Kentucky Center on Nov. 23.
Wiegman, a 5-foot-10 freshman guard from Cincinnati, dished out a career-high five assists against Mercer on Thursday, besting her previous high of four which she set three times this season. The first time came against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 7, and she also collected four assists against Ball State (Dec. 21) and USC Upstate (Jan. 2).
EARLY ATLANTIC SUN SUCCESS: The Norse currently rank second in the Atlantic Sun in scoring margin against conference opponents. NKU is averaging 12.3 points per game more than its Atlantic Sun counterparts. Florida Gulf Coast tops the list, scoring 15.5 points more than the other team (72.5 ppg vs. 57.0 ppg).
The Norse are averaging 73.7 points per game while limiting their opponents to just 61.3 through the first three conference games.
FIRST-HALF SUCCESS: NKU is 6-1 this season when ahead at halftime after holding a 38-30 advantage over Mercer. The Norse also took leads into the break against Cincinnati (35-27), Robert Morris (38-29), Tennessee Martin (34-30), USC Upstate (34-33) and East Tennessee State (43-24).
The only halftime advantage the Norse have not been able to keep was at Butler on Dec. 15. NKU entered the break up 27-23, but the Bulldogs outscored the Norse 30-20 in the second half to secure the win.
WHEN SCORING 70 POINTS OR MORE: With its 72-61 victory over Mercer, the Norse improved to 6-0 on the season when scoring at least 70 points. NKU opened the season with a 77-61 victory over Cincinnati on Nov. 9 and defeated Robert Morris, 71-62, on Nov. 29 at the RMU Thanksgiving Classic. The following day, the Norse earned a 70-61 win over Tennessee Martin in the same tournament. NKU began conference play with a 76-60 victory over USC Upstate before holding off a second-half rally by East Tennessee State for a 73-63 win a week ago.
Last season, the Norse finished the year 7-1 when reaching the 70-point threshold. The only loss came in the last game of the season when the College of Charleston topped NKU, 72-70, in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational at The Bank of Kentucky Center.
WINNING THE BOARDS: NKU finished with a 40-35 edge in rebounding against Mercer to improve to 4-0 this season when outrebounding the opponent. NKU also grabbed more rebounds than Cincinnati (42-40) on Nov. 9 to open the season, Tennessee Martin (47-39) on Nov. 30 to win the Robert Morris Thanksgiving Classic and USC Upstate (39-36) to open Atlantic Sun Conference play.
SATURDAY EVENTS: Members of the Most Valuable Kids of Greater Cincinnati (MVK) organization will be in attendance for the Kennesaw State game. MVK brings live sports and entertainment to underserved children in the Greater Cincinnati area at no cost. MVK overcomes the financial obstacles associated with live events by distributing donated tickets to kids who would enjoy the opportunity to go to an event but would otherwise not be able to because of the costs associated with tickets. These tickets are distributed to boys and girls, 18 and under, through local tax-exempt organizations that focus on children in low-income and underserved households.
The Mars Hill Academy Highlander Heat Jump Ropers will perform at halftime as will the NKU Dance Team.
