HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team lays its four-game win streak on the line against Wright State on Saturday afternoon at The Bank of Kentucky Center as the Norse continue their three-game homestand to conclude nonconference play.
 
The matchup is set for a 1 p.m. start time and is the first game in a doubleheader with the men's team, which takes on Toledo at 4 p.m. A link to live stats is available at nku.statbroadcast.com, while the ESPN3 broadcast link can be found on NKUNorse.com. As the contest progresses, live updates can also be found by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
 
NKU improved to 8-5 overall after defeating IUPUI, 57-43, on Tuesday evening at The Bank of Kentucky Center.  Melody Doss led the Norse offense, scoring a game-high 15 points and pulling down four rebounds. Christine Roush added 11 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots, while Kaitlyn Gerrety finished with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
After taking a 25-18 advantage into the locker room at the half, NKU extended its lead to 44-31 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game before a 6-0 IUPUI run cut the Norse deficit to seven (44-37) with 5:33 on the clock.  Roush responded with a 3-pointer on the next NKU possession for a 47-37 lead, and the Norse maintained the double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
 
ABOUT WRIGHT STATE: The Raiders moved to 10-3 on the year after a 118-70 victory over Central State on Wednesday afternoon. Tay'ler Mingo led Wright State with 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor, and she added eight assists, four rebounds and four steals. Courtney Boyd recorded a double-double for Wright State after scoring 12 points and grabbed a game-high 10 points.
 
Mingo leads the Raiders offense, averaging 22.5 points, which leads all Horizon League players and ranks 13th in the nation, and a conference-leading 5.5 assists per game. Breanna Stucke adds 9.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest, while Tayler Stanton contributes a team-high 11.8 boards, which is second best in the Horizon League and seventh nationally, and 8.2 points per game. Mingo's 3.6 steals per game ranks third nationally, while Stanton's 6.0 offensive rebounds is also third overall.
 
Wright State's 78.2 points per game puts the team in the top 25 across the nation, and the Raiders are outscoring their opponents by 17.5 points per game to land 23rd in the country.  As a team, Wright State is pulling down 20.0 offensive rebounds per game to rank third nationally, while its 9.7 rebound margin is 22nd.
 
Head coach Mike Bradbury is in his fifth season with the Raiders, and he boasts a 79-53 record over his first four seasons.  He spent three seasons at the helm at Morehead State to help compile a 129-97 career record over seven total seasons.  Last season, Bradbury led Wright State to a 26-9 record, setting a new win benchmark for the program, and a berth to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the Horizon League tournament title.
 
NKU-WRIGHT STATE SERIES: NKU holds a 12-1 advantage in the all-time series against Wright State, but the two teams have not met since the 1986-87 season.  During that season, the programs met three times with the Norse winning each contest, including a 74-63 victory in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament in Regents Hall.
 
The Norse won the first four meetings, kicking the series off defeating Wright State, 78-54, in Dayton, Ohio, on Jan. 23, 1982, before the Raiders earned their only victory (69-64) in the series on Jan. 28, 1984.  NKU has won the last eight contests.
 
AGAINST THE HORIZON LEAGUE: NKU is 15-7 all-time against members of the Horizon League.  In addition to the 12-1 Norse advantage over Wright State, the program won the only meeting against Cleveland State on Nov. 27, 1981. The series is tied at 1-all against Youngstown State with each team taking home victories in the previous two seasons. Oakland (Mich.) is 5-1 all-time against NKU.
 
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: Over the last three games, NKU has taken care of the ball and recorded three victories over that time as well. The Norse turned the ball over a season-low eight times in Tuesday's 57-43 victory over IUPUI. The eight against the Jaguars was the fewest miscues for NKU since only turning the ball over eight times against Lipscomb on Jan. 25, 2014, a 72-65 win for the Norse.
 
Over NKU's first 10 games, the Norse averaged 20.6 turnovers per contest. But, over the last three matchups, NKU has committed just 11.7 turnovers. In their 66-52 win over Cincinnati on Dec. 17, the Norse turned the ball over just 14 times before only recording 13 in a 63-58 victory against Delaware State two days later.
 
60-POINT THRESHOLD: NKU is 7-1 this season when holding its opponents to less than 60 points, including only giving up a season-low 43 points against IUPUI on Tuesday night.  In addition to their performance against the Jaguars, the Norse have limited three additional opponents under 50 points as well.  NKU posted a 59-48 win at Illinois State on Nov. 19 before suffering a 45-38 loss to Loyola (Chicago) for its only loss in this scoring threshold. The Norse also held Grand Canyon below 60 points, recording a 52-45 come-from-behind victory on Nov. 28 at the Navy Classic.
 
In NKU's eight games won this season, the Norse are only surrendering 53.4 point per game to their opponents. In those contests, NKU is averaging 64.5 points, outscoring opponents by 11.1 points.
 
SATURDAY'S PROMOTIONS: The Wright State game will feature Take a Kid to the Game Day, where children 12 and under will receive free admission with the purchase of an adult ticket to the women's contest. Fans are also encouraged to wear gold as part of the game's Gold Rush. Saturday's contest is also a #4for40 game, where fans can get four tickets, hot dogs and soft drinks for just $40.
 
UP NEXT: NKU will conclude its current three-game homestand on Tuesday, Jan. 6 with its final tune-up before starting Atlantic Sun Conference play against Georgetown (Ky.).  The contest is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., and it will be Senior Citizen Night. Fans 55 and older will receive $3 admission to the game.  The cheer team will perform its nationals routine at halftime as well.