HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team returned to The Bank of Kentucky Center to begin its three-game home stand as the Norse defeated Stetson, 68-62, in Atlantic Sun Conference action on Thursday evening.
 
Christine Roush's 24-point performance on 7-for-12 shooting from the field, including 5-for-10 from 3-point land, led the way for NKU, which improved to 13-8 overall and 4-2 in the Atlantic Sun.  She recorded her first double-double of the season, pulling down 12 rebounds to go along with three steals. 
 
Melody Doss also finished with 24 points and recorded four rebounds, two blocks and one steal.  Rianna Gayheart accompanied Roush and Doss with a career-high 11 assists. NKU shot 41.5 percent (22-for-53) from the field as a team and went 9-for-27 (.333) from behind the 3-point arc.
 
Thursday night's contest was a tale of two halves as the Norse were able to pull off the tight victory. A shot-clock beating triple from Doss kicked the game off. From there, the Norse traded baskets with the Hatters for the next seven minutes.
 
Neither team gained a substantial advantage until 9-0 run by NKU gave the Norse the lead at 18-10 with 11:44 left in the first half after a basket by Kasey Uetrecht. The Hatters responded with four-straight points before Roush answered with a 3-pointer followed by a bucket by Doss to spark a 12-1 run, giving the Norse a 29-14 lead with just over six minutes left in the half.
 
Both teams struggled to put points up in the final part of the first stanza. A field goal by Uetrecht broke the scoring drought with 2:03 left in the half. Roush followed with a bucket beyond the arc, and Doss capped off the 7-0 half-ending run with a bucket as time ran down to put the Norse ahead, 37-19, at the halftime break.
 
The Norse came out of the intermission on fire, connecting on four of their first five field goals to start the second half, including a trio of 3-pointers. NKU had its largest lead of the game, 48-21, with 16:48 remaining. The Hatters did not waver, though, going on an 11-0 run early in second stanza to reduce the NKU lead down to 48-32 with 14:11 on the clock.
 
With the Norse holding a 56-41 advantage with just under seven minutes remaining, Stetson used a 9-1 spurt with 5:25 remaining to tighten the game, cutting the NKU advantage to 57-50. The Norse pushed their lead back to 10 (62-52) less than one minute later, but the Hatters continued to chip away.
 
An 8-2 spurt from Stetson brought the Hatters to within 64-60 with just over one minute to play, before Doss and Kelley Wiegman knocked down four free throws down the stretch to seal the win for the Norse.
 
NKU ended with a slim 38-37 advantage in rebounds and forced Stetson into 18 turnovers.
 
Myeisha Hall finished with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor, five rebounds and two assists to lead the Hatters, who fell to 15-5 on the year and 4-2 in the Atlantic Sun. Brianti Saunders added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Amber Porter recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for Stetson, which shot 39.3 percent (22-for-56) from the floor, including a 53.3 percent (16-for-30) effort in the second half.  Jama Sharp rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and five steals.
 
NKU continues its three-game home stand on Saturday when the Norse welcome Florida Gulf Coast to The Bank of Kentucky Center at 7 p.m.  It will be the second-straight County Night, and the evening will also feature $1 select beverages.  Girls through eighth grade and boys through sixth grade can take the court after the game to take a few shots at various baskets around the court and get player autographs as part of Shoot Around Saturday festivities.