DELAND, Fla. – Myeisha Hall and Sarah Sagerer combined for 32 points to lead the Stetson University women's basketball team to a 73-56 victory over Northern Kentucky University on Saturday in Atlantic Sun Conference action from the Edmunds Center.
 
Sagerer finished with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the floor, six rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists to lead the way for Stetson, which improved to 18-6 overall and 7-3 in the Atlantic Sun. Hall added 16 points, including four 3-pointers, two assists and one block.  Brianti Saunders and Jama Sharp each posted 14-point, seven-rebound performances for the Hatters, who shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the field and 11-for-22 from 3-point range.
 
Melody Doss led NKU, which fell to 14-11 on the year and 5-5 in the conference, with 15 points and three rebounds.  Faith Sanders added a career-high 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers, and five rebounds.  Shar'Rae Davis rounded out the double figure scorers for the Norse with 11 points, going 4-for-6 from the floor, and five rebounds.
 
NKU and Stetson traded points over the opening minutes of the game until the Hatters used an7-2 run to take a 16-11 lead with 12:44 remaining in the first half.  The Norse slowly chipped away at the deficit, tying the game at 18-all on a 3-point field goal from Sanders with just over nine minutes on the clock.
 
Stetson pushed its lead to five (29-24) on a 3-pointer from Aisha Turner, but layups from Kaitlyn Gerrety and Doss pulled NKU to within 29-28 with 4:21 left in the opening stanza.  Hall answered on the other end of the court, but Doss closed the gap once more with an inside basket.  Sanders drained her second trey of the game to five the Norse a 33-31 advantage with 2:16 left.
 
A pair of free throws from Sharp tied the game on the next Stetson possession, and Hall knocked down a 3-pointer with time running down in the half to give the Hatters a 36-33 lead at the halftime break.  Stetson went 13-for-29 (.448) from the field, including six 3-point field goals, in the opening 20 minutes, while NKU shot 43.3 percent (13-for-30) and knocked down four attempts from long range.
 
The Hatters opened the second half with a 14-5 run to take a 52-38 lead with 11:32 on the clock behind long range shots from Turner, Hall, Saunders and Sagerer.  Christine Roush drained a 3-pointer from the right side and Davis followed with a layup to cut the Norse deficit to 52-43 with 9:30 remaining, but Stetson answered with four-straight points to stretch its lead back to double digits at 56-43 one minute later.
 
A 7-2 run from NKU pulled the Norse to within 58-50 with 6:08 remaining in the game, but the Hatters pushed the lead back to 13 (63-50) on a trey from Hall and layup by DeAsia Beal with just over five minutes on the clock.  Both teams struggled to score over the next three minutes before a Doss layup cut the NKU deficit to 63-52 with 2:35 left to play.
 
Sagerer knocked down two free throw attempts on the next Stetson possession, and Davis answered with a layup on the other end of the court to bring the Norse to within 65-54 but the Norse were unable to get any closer the rest of the way.
 
Stetson and NKU each pulled down 36 rebounds apiece with the Norse grabbing 10 offensive boards.  The Norse finished with a 27-7 advantage in bench points and went 21-for-59 from the floor and 7-for-23 from behind the 3-point arc.
 
NKU returns to The Bank of Kentucky Center on Jan. 19 for Think Pink Night against Jacksonville at 7 p.m. to kick off a three-game homestand.  Fans will receive discounted admission when they wear their pink apparel.
 
Two days later, NKU will take a trip down memory lane as the Norse welcome North Florida to Regents Hall for Throwback Night.  The contest is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m., and it will also be Girl Scout Night, where scouts in uniform will receive free admission.  Fans are asked to park in Lot T, which is the tiered lot located off University Drive, at no charge.