HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team opens a three-game homestand on Thursday at The Bank of Kentucky Center against Atlantic Sun Conference foe Jacksonville.
 
Thursday's Think Pink game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off.  A link to live stats is available at nku.statbroadcast.com, and the ESPN3 broadcast can be found at NKUNorse.com.  Fans unable to make it to The Bank of Kentucky Center can also follow @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
 
NKU is 14-11 overall and 5-5 in the Atlantic Sun after dropping a 73-56 decision to Stetson in DeLand, Florida, on Saturday.  Melody Doss led the way for the Norse with 15 points, three rebounds and one assist, while Faith Sanders added a career-high 14 points and five rebounds. Shar'Rae Davis rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points against the Hatters.
 
Stetson held a 36-33 advantage at the halftime break, but the Hatters opened the second half with a 14-5 run to take a 52-38 lead with 11:32 on the clock.  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, but the Norse were unable to get any closer than 11 the rest of the way.
 
ABOUT JACKSONVILLE: The Dolphins enter Thursday 9-14 overall and 4-6 in the Atlantic Sun after suffering a 60-58 setback to South Carolina Upstate on Saturday.  Sherranda Reddick poured in 20 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead Jacksonville, while Kayla Gordon finished with 11 points and Kimberly Dawkins pulled down a team-high 12 boards.
 
Reddick paces the Dolphins with 13.9 points, which is sixth in the Atlantic Sun, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while Briona Brown adds 10.9 points, 4.6 boards and 1.3 steals per contest.  Dawkins is pulling down a team-leading 8.0 rebounds for Jacksonville, while Ladeyah Forte' is dishing out 2.8 assists per game to rank seventh among conference players.
 
Head coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin is in her second season with Jacksonville.  Last season, the Dolphins posted a 13-17 overall record and a 10-8 mark in the Atlantic Sun under her direction.  McPhee-McCuin led the Dolphins to the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, the highest for Jacksonville since the 2008-09 season.  McPhee-McCuin also serves as the Bahamian women's national coach and was named to the 2013 New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
NKU-JACKSONVILLE SERIES: NKU took a 3-2 lead in the all-time series with Jacksonville on Jan. 24 with a 70-59 victory over the Dolphins in Jacksonville, Florida.  The Dolphins posted a 65-60 victory in the series opener on Dec. 31, 2012, before the Norse avenged the early-season loss with a 76-71 overtime win in The Bank of Kentucky Center just over one month later.
 
Jacksonville handed NKU its first conference loss of the 2013-14 season, taking a 67-56 decision in Swisher Gymnasium, but the Norse brought the series even by defeating the Dolphins, 69-61, on Feb. 15, 2014.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST JACKSONVILLE:  Christine Roush scored 22 points, including four 3-pointers, pulled down four rebounds and collected three steals to lead NKU to victory over Jacksonville earlier this season.  Kaitlyn Gerrety finished with 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor with six rebounds, six steals, three blocked shots and two assists, while Rianna Gayheart added 10 points, three steals and two assists for the Norse.
 
With NKU holding a 52-50 lead with 8:12 left, the Norse went on a 12-0 run to take their largest advantage of the game at 64-50 with just over three minutes remaining in the game.  The Dolphins cut their deficit to 64-56 on a Brandi Buie layup with 1:23 remaining but were unable to get any closer the rest of the way.
 
The Dolphins finished with a slight 39-34 edge in rebounds despite the Norse pulling down 17 offensive boards, and NKU was able to score 17 points from its second chances.  NKU shot 35.7 percent (20-for-56) from the field, while Jacksonville went 20-for-51 (.392) from the floor. 
 
Sherranda Reddick finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead Jacksonville in the two team's first meeting this season.  Kayla Gordon added 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the floor and pulled down seven rebounds, while Briona Brown scored 10 points to go with five boards and two steals.
 
SANDERS SHINES:  Faith Sanders recorded a career-high 14 points against Stetson on Saturday.  She finished 5-for-6 from the floor and went 3-for-3 from behind the 3-point arc, and she converted her one attempt from the charity stripe.  Sanders pulled down five rebounds, dished out one assist and collected steal against the Hatters as well.
 
The freshman forward from Savannah, Georgia, is averaging 2.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.  She scored nine points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in her NKU debut against Delaware State on Nov. 14, and she also added 11 points Delaware on Dec. 19.  Sanders is shooting 43.1 percent (28-for-65) from the floor and has collected eight steals for the Norse.
 
MOVING ON UP: Melody Doss scored a team-high 15 points against Stetson on Saturday to move her career points total to 1,055, moving into 24th place on NKU's all-time scorers list.  She needs just nine more points to move past Angel Donley (1992-95), who scored 1,064 points as a Norse.  Current assistant coach Karmen Graham (2003-07) is 22nd on the career points list with 1,088.
 
The senior forward from Greenwood, Indiana, leads NKU by averaging 13.9 points per game, which ranks fifth in the Atlantic Sun.  She is averaging 4.6 rebounds per contest, and she has blocked 18 shots and collected 23 steals.
 
CONFERENCE IMPROVEMENT: Shar'Rae Davis is averaging 7.4 points against Atlantic Sun opponents after posting double-figure performances in two of NKU's last three games.  She added 11 points off the bench against Stetson on Saturday and equaled her Norse career-high 14 points against Lipscomb on Feb. 7. 
 
Since starting conference play, Davis has improved her field-goal, 3-point and free-throw percentages.  Against Atlantic Sun teams, she is shooting 36.9 percent (24-for-65) from the floor as opposed to 29.3 percent (22-for-75) against nonconference opponents.  She has gone 17-for-19 (.895) from the charity stripe after connecting on just 7-of-14 (.500) attempts in her first 11 games of the season.  Davis shot 26.2 percent (11-for-42) from long range against nonconference teams and is shooting 27.3 percent (9-for-33) against Atlantic Sun teams.
 
This season, the redshirt sophomore from Grand Haven, Michigan, is averaging 6.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.  She has dished out 22 assists, blocked two shots and collected 20 steals.
 
THURSDAY'S PROMOTION:  Thursday's contest is NKU's annual Think Pink game.  Fans will receive $3 admission for sporting pink apparel.  The first 200 fans in attendance will also receive a free pink ribbon grocery bag.
 
UP NEXT: Due to an event conflict in The Bank of Kentucky Center on Saturday, NKU will welcome North Florida to Regents Hall at 7 p.m. for Throw Back Night and Girl Scout Night.  Women's basketball alumni will be recognized at halftime, and girls will receive free admission to the game when wearing their uniforms.
 
Traffic flows will be disrupted Saturday because of the large event held at The Bank of Kentucky Center.  Fans are encouraged to enter Lot T, which is the tiered lot across from Regents Hall off University Drive, from Martha Layne Collins Boulevard, and parking will be free of charge.  Please follow the directions below or click the link above for printable instructions.
 
From I-275 Eastbound or Westbound:
• Take I-275 to Exit # 74A towards Alexandria / Cold Spring
• Merge onto US 27 at end of exit ramp
• Follow US 27 to the sixth stoplight and turn right onto Martha Layne Collins Blvd.
• Follow Martha Layne Collins Blvd. to the round-a-bout at the entrance to campus
• Continue straight through the round-a-bout and follow to the first road on your right (Campus Drive)
• Turn right onto Campus Drive and follow to the first stop sign, which is Lot T
• Turn right and park in Lot T
• After parking, walk back across Campus Drive and down to Regents Hall
 
From US 27 South:
• Take US 27 North to Martha Layne Collins Blvd.
• Turn left onto Martha Layne Collins Blvd.
• Follow Martha Layne Collins Blvd. to the round-a-bout at the entrance to campus
• Continue straight through the round-a-bout and follow to the first road on your right (Campus Drive)
• Turn right onto Campus Drive and follow to the first stop sign, which is Lot T
• Turn right and park in Lot T
• After parking, walk back across Campus Drive and down to Regents Hall
 
From I-471:
• Take I-471 south until it becomes US 27
• Follow US 27 to the sixth stoplight and turn right onto Martha Layne Collins Blvd.
• Follow Martha Layne Collins Blvd. to the round-a-bout at the entrance to campus
• Continue straight through the round-a-bout and follow to the first road on your right (Campus Drive)
• Turn right onto Campus Drive and follow to the first stop sign, which is Lot T
• Turn right and park in Lot T
• After parking, walk back across Campus Drive and down to Regents Hall
 
From Johns Hill Road coming from Wilder:
• Take Johns Hill Road past the Grein Softball Field and Aker Baseball Complex
• Turn left onto Campus Drive (the first road just after you pass the Aker Baseball Complex)
• Follow Campus Drive to the first stop sign, which is Lot T
• Turn right and park in Lot T
• After parking, walk back across Campus Drive and down to Regents Hall