HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team makes a short trip across the Ohio River on Friday to face Delaware in a neutral-site contest. Tipoff from Fifth Third Arena on the campus of the University of Cincinnati is set for 7 p.m.
 
Links to live stats will be available at NKUNorse.com.  Be sure to follow @NKUNorseGameDay for live updates as the game progresses as well.
 
NKU improved to 6-5 overall on Wednesday night with a 66-52 victory over Cincinnati at The Bank of Kentucky Center.  The Norse took a six-point lead (32-26) into the halftime break, but a 3-pointer from the Bearcats' Jasmine Whitfield brought Cincinnati to within one at 32-31. NKU answered with a 9-0 run to extend its advantaged to double-digits, eventually leading by as many as 14 in the second half, and the Bearcats were unable to get any closer than nine the rest of the way.
 
The Norse placed three players in double-figures, led by Rianna Gayheart's season-high 12 points.  Gayheart also pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists, while Christine Roush and Kaitlyn Gerrety each added 11 points apiece.  Melody Doss and Kelley Wiegman each finished with nine points and seven rebounds for NKU, as Shar'Rae Davis and Kasey Uetrecht scored six points to round out the balanced Norse effort.
 
ABOUT DELAWARE: The Blue Hens dropped an 87-59 decision to undefeated Princeton on Tuesday to fall to 4-4 on the year.  The Tigers used a 9-2 run to turn a one-point lead into a 35-27 advantage with 4:35 left in the first half.  Princeton stretched its lead to as many as 14 points in the opening stanza and continued to apply tough pressure the rest of the way for the win.  Courtni Green finished with a team-high 18 points, five rebounds and five assists for Delaware, while Hannah Jardine added 12 points and four boards.
 
Green tops the Blue Hen offense by averaging 17.0 points and 2.9 assists per game, and she leads the team with 11 steals.  Erika Brown adds 13.5 points, while Joy Caracciolo is pulling down a team-best 8.1 rebounds per contest.  Stephanie Leon has blocked 13 shots to go along with 5.1 rebounds per game for Delaware.
 
Blue Hens head coach Tina Martin is in her 19th season.  She entered the 2014-15 season with a 361-192 career record over each of his seasons with Delaware.  One year ago, Martin guided the Blue Hens to a 20-11 mark, which was earned the team a berth to the WNIT, and a second place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association after finishing 10-6 in conference play.
 
AGAINST THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION: NKU is 1-3 all-time against members of the Colonial Athletic Association.  Although Friday's contest will mark the first meeting against Delaware, the Norse have faced two other CAA schools: College of Charleston and UNC Wilmington.
 
NKU has faced the College of Charleston in each of its two seasons as an NCAA Division I program with both appearances coming in the Women's Basketball Invitational.  The Cougars have topped the Norse the past two seasons to take a 2-0 lead in the series.   Last season, the College of Charleston defeated NKU, 60-54, on its home court in the second round of the WBI.
 
The Norse split the only two meetings with UNC Wilmington with each team earning a win on the home court.  NKU cruised to a 71-55 victory at The Bank of Kentucky Center on Dec. 12, 2012, before the Seahawks held off a late Norse rally for a 65-62 win at Trask Coliseum.
 
NONCONFERENCE BENCHMARK: Wednesday's win against Cincinnati set a new Division I benchmark for NKU in nonconference wins at six.  Last season, the Norse recorded four nonconference victories during the regular season before posting the school's first-ever D-I postseason win against McNeese State in the first round of the WBI.  In NKU's inaugural Division I season, the Norse won three games against teams outside of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
 
NEUTRAL SITE SUCCESS: NKU is 3-0 this season in games played at neutral sites.  The Norse opened the season with a 76-55 victory over Delaware State to open the Akron Classic in Akron, Ohio.  Over the Thanksgiving break, NKU participated in the Navy Classic, hosted by the Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland.  The Norse overcame an eight-point (28-20) halftime deficit to defeat Grand Canyon, 52-45, on Nov. 28, and NKU topped UNC Greensboro, 66-58, the next day.
 
FROM THE LINE: NKU currently ranks as top free-throw shooting team in the Atlantic Sun, connecting on 74.3 percent (185-for-249) of its attempts from the charity stripe.  The Norse boast two of the top three free-throw shooters in the league.  Christine Roush's 91.8 percent (45-for-49) leads the conference, while Kelley Wiegman is third at 88.0 percent (22-for-25).
 
The Norse have missed just five or fewer shots in each of their last four games.  NKU went 16-for-18 from the charity stripe against then-No. 13 Kentucky before going 22-for-27 against IPFW.  On Monday, the Norse successfully connected on nine of their 11 attempts against Marquette, and NKU was 14-for-17 from the free-throw line on Wednesday against Cincinnati.
 
UP NEXT: NKU will return to The Bank of Kentucky Center on Dec. 30 to welcome IUPUI to Highland Heights for the first time since the 1995-96 season.  Fans can buy one ticket and get one free by bringing in the special promotional Pepsi can, which outlines the Pepsi BOGO games on the back.  The NKU dance team will perform their nationals routine during halftime of the IUPUI game as well.