HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University started off 2015 with a disappointing loss to Wright State University, which mounted a second-half comeback after trailing by six at the halftime break for a 72-60 victory at The Bank of Kentucky Center on Saturday afternoon in nonconference action.

"In the first half, we really attacked them and pushed the ball, whereas in the second half, the tables were turned and Wright State was able to penetrate much better," said NKU head coach Dawn Plitzuweit.

Melody Doss recorded her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds to go along with two assists, one steal and one blocked shot to lead NKU, which fell to 8-6 overall with the loss.

Both teams started the game with offensive woes, but a triple by Faith Sanders at the 15:38 mark tied the game at 5-5 to help kick-start the NKU offense.
Scoring continued back and forth throughout the first half with the Norse maintaining the lead for majority of the opening stanza. NKU made five straight baskets to create an 8-0 run giving the Norse a 30-20 lead with 4:12 remaining in the first half.

Wright State (11-3) struggled from the field having multiple three-minute scoring droughts. The Raiders made a push over the next three minutes with a 5-0 run to pull to within 30-25 with just over a minute left.  The Norse broke the run with a pair of free throws from Kasey Uetrecht and a layup by Faith Sanders in the final minutes of the half for a 34-28 lead despite Wright State gaining momentum as the both teams headed in to the locker room after a buzzer-beating triple by Abby Jump.

The teams exchanged baskets to start the second half. When Wright State began to drive the ball more, the Raiders began to draw fouls to send them to the line early in the half. Three of NKU's starters got into foul trouble before the first media timeout of the half, leading to Plitzuweit to rely more heavily on the bench, which ended up with 23 of the team's points, led by Shar'Rae Davis' 12.

"The kids who came in off the bench really battled for us," added coach Plitzuweit. "It was a good experience for them to be in that late-game scenario, and it will help us down the road."

The Raiders slowly chipped away at the Norse advantage, and a 3-pointer by Courtney Boyd brought the lead for NKU down to one (38-37) with 16:59 on the clock, but a layup by Kelley Wiegman at the 16:33 mark gave the Norse a 40-37 lead.

Wright State gained a slight 41-40 lead after free throws by Boyd with just over 14 minutes left to play before a pair of free throws from Wiegman regained the NKU lead. The Raiders then went on a 9-0 run to give them a 50-42 lead until a put-back layup by Utrecht broke up the spurt at the 9:36 mark.

Wright State led by as many as 13 twice in the second half. Late in the final 20 minutes, Davis posted a strung together a five-point run of her own, capped by her only 3-pointer of the game, to cut the Wright State lead to 64-55 with 4:19 on the clock. A triple by Doss later on brought the Norse back to within 10 (68-58) with 2:27 left, but NKU was unable to build enough momentum to climb any closer the rest of the way.

Free throws made a huge difference in the second half. Wright State went to the line 24 times versus the Norse, who only made 12 appearances at the charity stripe, in the second half, and the Raiders shot 76.7 percent (23-for-30) from the line overall.

NKU led the rebound battle early pulling down 24 boards, including six offensive rebounds, in the first half, and finished with a 49-45 edge on the glass for the game.  The Norse shot 32.8 percent (21-for-64) from the floor overall, limited to just 27.3 (9-for-33) in the second half.

Wright State forced the Norse into 14 turnovers and was able to convert the turnovers into 16 points.  The Raiders went 22-for-63 (.349) from the field, including 12-for-30 (.400) in the final 20 minutes.

Davis and Wiegman each recorded 12-point performances for NKU.  The Norse tied their season high with six blocked shots, four of those by Kaitlyn Gerrety. Uetrecht pulled in a career-high seven rebounds off the bench, only trailing Doss on the boards.

The Raiders had standout performances by Tay'ler Mingo and Breanna Stucke. Mingo finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists and six steals. Stucke chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. The duo shot 10-for-33 from the field, which was over half of the Raiders' shots taken. They also combined for 15-for-17 from the charity stripe.

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.