HIGLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team hosts Marshall on Thursday as the Norse prepare for their third consecutive appearance in the Women's Basketball Invitational.
 
Tipoff from The Bank of Kentucky Center is set for 7 p.m.  A link to live stats is available at nku.statbroadcast.com, and the ESPN3 broadcast link can be found at NKUNorse.com.  Fans can follow @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter for live updates as the game progresses as well.
 
NKU, which earned the No. 1 seed in the East Region, enters Thursday's contest 19-13 overall after falling to Florida Gulf Coast, 60-43, in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship game on Sunday.  Shar'Rae Davis poured in 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor, including a 6-for-7 effort from behind the 3-point arc.  Kasey Uetrecht added six points for the Norse, while Rianna Gayheart, Kelley Wiegman and Molly Franson each finished with five points.
 
The Eagles jumped out to a quick 13-0 lead after holding NKU scoreless for the first six minutes of the game.  Uetrecht put the Norse on the scoreboard with a 3-point field goal at the 14-minute mark, and Franson pulled NKU to within 15-6 on the next possession.  FGCU, however, extended its lead to as many as 18 (32-14) in the first half and took a 32-17 advantage into the half.
 
A Gayheart jumper and Wiegman 3-pointer cut the Norse deficit to 10 (32-22) with 18:17 remaining in the game, but the Eagles responded with a 16-4 run to take their largest lead of the game at 48-26 with 9:45 to play.  NKU was unable to get any closer than 12 (50-38) the rest of the way.
 
ABOUT MARSHALL: The Thundering Herd, who received the No. 8 seed in the East Region, is 16-14 overall after dropping a 67-52 decision to Charlotte in the first round of the Conference USA tournament.  Leah Scott and Chukwuka Ezeigbo, who each received a spot on the All-Conference USA second team, recorded double-doubles against the 49ers.  Scott led the way with a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Ezeigbo added 14 points and a game-leading 15 boards.  AJ Johnson finished with 10 points and went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line for Marshall, which finished 8-10 in conference play.
 
Scott averages 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game to pace Marshall, while Johnson and Norrisha Victrum add 10.9 and 10.4 points, respectively.  Ezeigbo is pulling down a team-high 10.4 boards per game, which ranks second among Conference USA players, and averaging 10.0 points to round out the double-figure scorers for the Thundering Herd.  Ezeigbo leads the conference in field-goal percentage, connecting on 64.8 percent (138-for-213) of her attempts from the floor.
 
Head coach Matt Daniels is in his third season with the Thundering Herd and is 36-55 entering Thursday.  He spent four season at Central Arkansas before taking over at Marshall, and he holds a 108-105 career record.
 
NKU-MARSHALL SERIES: NKU holds a 5-0 record over Marshall in the all-time series, although the two teams have not met since the 1981-82 season.  The Norse posted an 84-39 victory on Feb. 17, 1979, in Regents Hall, before claiming a 92-64 win in Huntington, West Virginia, the following season.  NKU and Marshall last met on Dec. 15, 1981, and the Norse held on for a 66-64 win on the road.
 
AGAINST CONFERENCE USA: NKU holds a 15-12 record against Conference USA members.  In addition to their 5-0 lead over Marshall, the Norse are 1-0 against Florida Atlantic.  The series is tied between NKU and Middle Tennessee State at 1-1, but Western Kentucky holds an 11-8 edge over the Norse. 
 
The Lady Toppers are the only Conference USA team that NKU has faced since beginning the NCAA Division I transition.  The Norse dropped a 65-53 decision in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Nov. 17, 2012, before Western Kentucky handed NKU a 74-64 loss in The Bank of Kentucky Center last season.
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT PEFORMERS: Melody Doss and Molly Franson received spots on the Atlantic Sun all-tournament team after posting solid performances over three games.  Doss led the way for the Norse during the tournament, averaging 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.  Doss blocked four shots and dished out four assists, while Franson added 7.7 points and 4.3 boards off the bench.
 
Doss, a senior forward from Greenwood, Indiana, scored 14 points against both South Carolina Upstate and Stetson.  She shot 5-for-12 (.417) from the floor to open tournament play against USC Upstate, and she pulled down seven rebounds to help the Norse post a 53-52 upset at Stetson on March 11.
 
Franson, a freshman forward/center from Tinley Park, Illinois, recorded career high numbers with 14 points and nine rebounds to lead NKU to victory over Stetson, and she knocked down a pair of game-winning free throws with 15 seconds left to give the Norse the lead and the win.  Franson added four points and four boards against USC Upstate on March 6 and finished with five points on 2-for-3 shooting from the floor in Sunday's championship game at FGCU.
 
SHAR'RAE SHINES: Shar'Rae Davis set a new personal-best points total at NKU on Sunday against FGCU as she poured in 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor, including a 6-for-7 effort from behind the 3-point arc.  She added two rebounds, one assist and one steal in NKU's first-ever Atlantic Sun championship game.
 
The redshirt sophomore from Gran Haven, Michigan, averages 6.2 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Norse.  She has dished out 26 assists, blocked three shots and collected 23 steals in her first season with NKU after transferring from Youngstown State.
 
DEFENSIVE STAND: NKU continued its impressive defensive performance against FGCU on Sunday as the Norse held the Eagles 13 points under their season average.  FGCU entered Sunday scoring 73.0 points per game, and NKU limited the Eagles to 60 in the championship game, which marked just the fifth time this season the team has been held to 60 or less points.
 
NKU, which has won five of its last six games, has held its last six opponents to 60 points or less, giving up just 51.2 points per game.  On Feb. 21, NKU limited North Florida to just 29 points, which set a new NCAA Division I mark for the program, to start its current streak. 
 
This season NKU is 14-2 when holding the other team to 60 points or below.  The lone Norse loss when limiting their opponents under 60 before Sunday's championship game came on Nov. 22 when Loyola (Chicago) posted a 45-38 win in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
 
UP NEXT: The winner of the NKU-Marshall contest will face the winner of the No. 4 Mercer-No.5 Troy matchup on the campus of the highest advancing seed.  If the Norse advance, links to live stats and the ESPN3 broadcast will be posted to NKUNorse.com, and fans can also visit http://www.nkunorse.com/postseason as more information becomes available.