HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball kicks off the 2016-17 Horizon League season this week, starting off the slate with some of the toughest competition in the League. The Norse travel to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to take on the defending HL champions on Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET. The game will be carried on the ESPN3 platform, with streaming available on computers, tablets and smart phones through Watch ESPN and the ESPN App. Bill Scott and Cordero Barkley will be on the call for the Phoenix.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse found their groove in Sin City, going 2-1 in the Puerto Rico Classic-Las Vegas, with wins over Arkansas State and Southern Miss. NKU had a rocky start to kick off the tournament, falling 77-54 to Portland State. Redshirt-senior forward Rebecca Lyttle posted season highs to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding with 16 points and 13 boards for her second double-double of the season. The Norse bounced back against Arkansas State, trailing at the half to the Red Wolves before a third-quarter surge propelled the team to an 83-78 win led by Kasey Uetrecht's near-double-double of 23 points and nine rebounds. Three other Norse posted double-digit scoring outings, while Shar'Rae Davis had a career game with seven assists in the victory, as the Norse assisted on 19 of their 31 field goals. NKU rode that momentum into the final game against Southern Miss, going out to a 27-17 lead at the half before fending off the Golden Eagles in a 58-53 win. Lyttle matched her season best once more with 16 points, aided by a key 6-of-8 performance at the free throw line. Entering the game, Southern Miss was ranked nearly 200 spots ahead of the Norse in the RPI.
 
SCOUTING GREEN BAY: The Phoenix are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Poll, and deservedly so as Green Bay has posted a 9-2 record with its only losses coming against then-No. 1/1 Notre Dame and Wisconsin. In the tussle with the Fighting Irish, Green Bay lost by a mere four points in South Bend, Indiana. The Phoenix have the highest RPI of any League team by a considerable margin, sitting at 10th in the latest index. Green Bay's success is marked by its defense, with the team ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (50.1 ppg) and 13th in field goal percentage defense (33.5 percent). The Phoenix also sit atop the Horizon League in field goal percentage (45.2 percent), 3-point field goal defense (28.0 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage (35.0 percent).
  
Individually, Green Bay has seen strong performances out of junior forward Jessica Lindstrom. She ranks 13th in the nation in rebounds per game (10.7) and is one of the best defensive rebounders in the nation with 8.0 defensive boards a game. Lindstrom has been an effective offensive tool as well, with six double-doubles on the season, but the Phoenix are led by senior forward Mehryn Kraker with 17.2 ppg. Green Bay's third key player is sophomore guard Jen Wellnitz, who dishes out 4.1 assists per game and has one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the nation at 2.37. Wellnitz is also Green Bay's stealthiest defender, ranking 20th in the nation with 3.2 steals per game.
  
The all-time series with Green Bay is a fresh one, which started last season when the Norse joined the Horizon League. NKU has not defeated the Phoenix in three meetings, but came close to an upset in the semifinals of the HL Tournament when the Norse took Green Bay to overtime before ultimately falling by two, 80-78.