HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team welcomes Florida Gulf Coast to The Bank of Kentucky Center as the Norse continue their three-game Atlantic Sun Conference homestand on Saturday.
 
Tipoff against the Eagles is set for 7 p.m.  A link for live stats can be found at nku.statbroadcast.com, and the ESPN3 broadcast link is available at NKUNorse.com.  Fans unable to be in attendance can follow @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter for updates as the game progresses as well.
 
NKU improved to 13-8 overall and 4-2 in the Atlantic Sun on Thursday after defeating Stetson, 68-62, in The Bank of Kentucky Center.  Christine Roush led the Norse her first double-double of the season with 24 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.  Melody Doss also added 24 points and recorded four rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal, while Rianna Gayheart dished out a career-high 11 assists.
 
The Norse took a 37-19 lead into the halftime break and eventually stretched their advantage to as many as 27 (48-21) with 16:48 remaining, but Stetson used a 25-8 run over the next 11 minutes to cut its deficit under 10 at 56-48 with 5:39 on the clock.  The two teams traded baskets until the Hatters pulled to within 64-60 with just over one minute remaining, but Kelley Wiegman and Doss successfully connected on four free-throw attempts to seal the victory for NKU.
 
ABOUT FLORIDA GULF COAST: The Eagles enter Saturday's contest 19-2 on the year and stand as the only undefeated team in Atlantic Sun play with a 6-0 mark.  Whitney Knight scored 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead FGCU to a 71-49 victory at Lipscomb on Thursday, while Taylor Gradinjan and Katie Meador each added 11 points for the Eagles.
 
Knight tops the balanced scoring effort for FGCU, averaging 15.2 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game to go along with a conference-leading 2.4 blocks per game.  Kaneisha Atwater is adding 13.8 points, while Stephanie Haas is scoring 9.9 points and shooting 45.1 percent (74-for-164) from the floor for the Eagles.  DyTiesha Duncan's 3.7 assists per game rank third in the Atlantic Sun, while Jenna Cobb is dishing out 2.7 to land 10th. 
 
FGCU is averaging a conference-leading 75.0 points per game and outscoring opponents by 17.5 points per game to rank 12th nationally in that category.  The Eagles are knocking down 10.2 3-point field goals per contest to land third in the country and are forcing the other team into 7.5 more turnovers, which is fourth.
 
Head coach Karl Smesko is in his 13th season at FGCU, and he compiled a 314-64 (.831) overall record through 2013-14.  Last season, the Eagles posted a 26-8 record and 17-1 mark in the Atlantic Sun to capture the Atlantic Sun regular-season and championship titles, earning their second berth to the NCAA Tournament in three years.
 
NKU-FLORIDA GULF COAST SERIES: Florida Gulf Coast holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series against NKU.  The Eagles swept the series meetings during NKU's inaugural NCAA Division I season, defeating the Norse 79-50 in Fort Myers, Florida, before taking a 68-53 victory in The Bank of Kentucky Center. 
 
Almost one year ago, NKU handed FGCU a 63-43 loss on Feb. 1, 2014, to snap FGCU's 44-game regular-season Atlantic Sun winning streak at The Bank of Kentucky Center.  The Eagles avenged the loss at home one month later with a 67-53 win in Alico Arena.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST FLORIDA GULF COAST: Whitney Knight scored 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor to lead FGCU to a 67-53 victory over NKU in Alico Arena in the last meeting between the two programs on March 1, 2014.  Stephanie Haas added 14 points and three steals for the Eagles, while Sarah Hansen chipped in 12 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Melody Doss and Christine Roush each scored 12 points to lead the way for NKU.  Roush finished 5-for-8 from the floor and pulled down six rebounds, while Kayla Thacker added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Norse.
 
NKU used an 8-2 run in the first half to take a 28-24 lead with 1:27 remaining before the break.  Haas connected on two free throws to cut the Norse advantage to 28-26, but a basket by Doss pushed the lead back to four (30-26) with less than a minute left in the half.  Knight knocked down a 3-pointer on the other end of the court for a 30-29 halftime lead for NKU.
 
Both teams traded points over the first nine minutes of the second half before FGCU drained consecutive 3-point field goals to give the Eagles a 51-42 lead with exactly eight minutes left to play.  The FGCU defense held the Norse scoreless for over four minutes during that stretch, and NKU was unable to recover as the Eagles claimed the victory.
 
NEARING 1,000: Melody Doss enters Saturday's contest against Florida Gulf Coast with 987 career points after pouring in a season-high 24 against Stetson on Thursday.  She now needs just 13 points to become 28th member of the 1,000 point club.  She currently sits 28th on NKU's all-time scoring list, passing Natalie Ochs (1985-89) against the Hatters, and needs 19 points to pass Jessie Slack's 1,006 to continue her move up the ranks.
 
Doss has seen steady improvement during her four-year career, as she scored 88 total points as a freshman and 151 the following season before her breakout junior year.  Last season, Doss poured in 468 points to lead the Norse in scoring and earn first-team All-Atlantic Sun honors.
 
The senior from Greenwood, Indiana, is averaging 13.3 points and per game this season.  She has scored in double-figures 15 times, and she leads the team in field goal attempts (255) and field goals made (102).
 
20-POINT PERFORMERS: Christine Roush and Melody Doss each scored 24 points to lift NKU to a 68-62 victory over Stetson on Thursday night.  It marked the first time since Feb. 9, 2013, that the Norse had two players score 20 or more points. 
 
Kayla Thacker poured in 23 on 8-for-15 shooting from the floor, including a 6-for-9 effort behind the 3-point arc, against Lipscomb in Nashville, Tennessee, to lead NKU to a 79-58 victory.  Ellen Holton recorded her first double-double of her senior season that night, scoring 22 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.  Holton went 8-for-12 from the floor and knocked down a pair of attempts from long range.
 
Roush connected on seven of her 12 shots from the field against the Hatters, and she drained five 5-pointers.  She pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds and went 5-for-6 from the free throw line.  Doss knocked down a trio of 3-pointers against Stetson and blocked two shots to help lead the Norse to the win.
 
HEATING UP: Christine Roush has begun to heat up over the last three games, averaging 24.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for NKU.  She finished one point shy of her career high of 29 points in a double-overtime contest at North Florida on Jan. 22 with 28 before adding 22 points at Jacksonville two days later.  Roush was one of two Norse players to score 24 points as the Norse defeated Stetson on Thursday.
 
Over the last three games, Roush shot 48.8 (21-for-43) from the floor and has connected on 50.0 percent (15-for30) of her attempts from long range, including six 3-pointers against North Florida.  The junior guard from Louisville, Kentucky, grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds against Stetson, and she has collected three steals in each of the last two games.
 
SHARING THE ROCK: Rianna Gayheart dished out a career-high 11 assists against Stetson on Thursday evening, including six in the first half.  It topped her previous career high of eight, which she set on Dec. 1, 2012, against Missouri State.  Her 11 assists marks the first time a Norse player has collected 10 or more assists since Karen Backman recorded 10 against Lewis on Feb. 28, 2009.
 
The junior guard from Owenton, Kentucky, is averaging 3.2 assists per contest to rank sixth among Atlantic Sun players, and she is dishing out 4.5 against conference opponents to claim the top spot.  She has recorded 27 assists against Atlantic Sun teams to land first as well, and her 64 total assists on the year is also sixth.
 
SATURDAY'S PROMOTION: Saturday's contest features the second-straight County Night, where residents of Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties will receive $3 admission with proof of residency, and $1 Select Beverage Night.
 
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.
 
UP NEXT: NKU will conclude its current homestand on Saturday, Feb. 7 with its homecoming game against Lipscomb as the first half of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team.  The women's game will tip off at 4 p.m.