HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team opens the home portion of its 2014-15 schedule on Saturday as the Norse welcome Loyola (Chicago) to The Bank of Kentucky Center at 4 p.m.
 
The women's game will be the first game of a doubleheader with the men's team and will be a special tribute game "FOR#22ON22" dedicated to Lauren Hill.  Links to live stats and the ESPN3 broadcast are available on NKUNorse.com.
 
The game will benefit The Cure Starts Now Foundation. The organization will be in attendance accepting donations to help raise funds for cancer research and will have a special guest speaker at halftime.  Fans are invited onto the court following the women's game to make a donation and participate in the #Layups4Lauren Challenge, which consists of making a layup with the non-dominant hand after turning around in a circle five times.
 
NKU enters Saturday's contest at 2-1 on the year after posting a 59-48 victory over Illinois State on Wednesday evening.  Melody Doss poured in 21 points, including 15 in the second half, and pulled down six rebounds to lead the Norse, while Kelley Wiegman added 12 points and three assists.  NKU limited the Redbirds to just two field goals and one free throw over the final eight minutes of the game to ignite a game-ending 18-5 run for the win.
 
Links to live stats and the ESPN3 broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com.  Fans who are unable to be in attendance can also keep tract of in-game updates by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter all season.
 
ABOUT LOYOLA: The Ramblers are 0-2 overall after dropping an 86-71 decision to Marquette on Nov. 17.  Taylor Johnson scored 23 points to lead Loyola, as Destiny Washington added 14 points and eight rebounds.  Becca Smith rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points, but the Ramblers were unable to overcome a 10-point (42-32) halftime deficit.
 
Loyola boasts three players scoring in double figures, led by Johnson's 16.0 points per game.  Simone Law is averaging 12.0 points, and Smith has contributed 10.5 points over the first two games of the season for the Ramblers.  Washington leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.0 boards per game, and Johnson has dished out a team-high six assists.
 
Former WNBA standout Sheryl Swoopes is in her second season as the Loyola head coach.  In her first year with the Ramblers, the team finished with an 11-21 record, including a 6-11 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
NKU/LOYOLA SERIES: The all-time series between the two teams is tied at 1-1 with both teams recording a win on their home court.  NKU posted a 75-44 win in Regents Hall in the first-ever meeting on Dec. 22, 2005 when the Norse were still an NCAA Division II member, but Loyola evened the series with a 77-65 win on Nov. 21, 2012 in NKU's first year of Division I play.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST LOYOLA: Five Loyola players scored in double figures on Nov. 21, 2012 to capture a 77-65 win over NKU in Gentile Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
 
Loyola built a 27-10 lead just nine minutes into the game and owned a 34-17 advantage at the 6:49 mark, but NKU responded with a 19-4 run to trim its halftime deficit to 38-36.  Tiara Hopper scored NKU's first six points of the second half to give the Norse a 42-40 lead with 18:20 left in the game, but the Ramblers later countered with a game-changing 15-0 run to take control of the game.
 
Monica Albano led Loyola with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the floor, while Taylor Johnson poured in 17 points and pulled down five rebounds.  Simone Law recorded a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, and Patrice King and Abby Skube added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Hopper's 22 points and nine rebounds led the Norse, while Kayla Thacker finished the night with 15 points.  Christine Roush recorded seven points, six rebounds and two assists for the NKU.
 
AGAINST THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE: NKU is now 11-6 all-time against members of the Missouri Valley Conference.  After defeating Illinois State on Wednesday, the Norse improved their all-time lead against the Redbirds to 4-2, including the previous two meetings.  The Norse are 5-1 against Indiana State, and NKU is tied with both Loyola and Missouri State.  Drake is 1-0 all-time against the Norse.
 
ESPN3 TIME: All NKU women's basketball home games will be carried on ESPN3 this season.  NKU worked in conjunction with the Atlantic Sun Conference and ESPN to outfit a production trailer for use on its Highland Heights, Kentucky, campus.  Members of the University's media services and athletic communications departments will team up to bring NKU women's basketball to ESPN3.
 
DEFENSE STRONG: NKU is limiting its opponents to 61.7 points per game to rank second in the Atlantic Sun Conference, sitting behind Stetson's 55.0.  The Norse have held two of the three teams they have faced to under 60 points, including giving up just 48 points to Illinois State.
 
On Wednesday, NKU forced the Ramblers into 26 turnovers and blocked five shots.  Melody Doss and Kaitlyn Gerrety each rejected two Illinois State attempts, while Molly Franson turned away one.  As a team, the Norse are averaging 5.0 blocks per contest, landing second in the conference to Stetson's 6.0 blocked shots average.
 
AMONG THE TOP: After the first three NKU games of the season, the Norse boast two of the top 10 Atlantic Sun scorers.  Melody Doss is fifth in the conference with a 16.7 scoring average, while Christine Roush currently sits ninth at 13.7 points per contest.
 
Doss extended her double-figure scoring streak to nine consecutive games, dating back to last season, with her 21-point performance against Illinois State on Wednesday.  The senior forward from Greenwood, Indiana, leads the team in scoring, and she averages 5.0 rebounds per game as well.  Doss also tops the team with five blocks.
 
Roush started the season with back-to-back double-digit efforts.  She scored 14 points to help lead NKU to a 76-55 victory over Delaware State to open the 2014-15 season before pouring in a team-high 19 points against Akron the following day.  She is shooting 57.1 percent (4-for-7) from 3-point range, and she has connected on 13 of her 15 attempts (.867) from the free-throw line to lead the Norse in both categories.
 
UP NEXT: NKU returns to The Bank of Kentucky Center on Tuesday, Nov. 25 when Ohio makes its first-ever meeting with the Norse.  It will be Grade School Night where all kids 12 and under will receive free admission.  Kids are also invited onto the court following the game to participate in Shoot Around Tuesday and receive player autographs as well.