HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball will head back to the Hoosier State for the second time this season, this time to face Big Ten opponent Indiana on Thursday, Dec. 8. Tipoff against the Hoosiers is slated for 7 p.m. ET from Assembly Hall, and the game will be broadcast on BTN Plus with Lucas Corley on play-by-play, Taylor Lehman as analyst and Courtney Robb reporting from the sideline. The network offers conference and school passes at an annual and monthly rate for both. The monthly school pass is offered for a rate of $9.95 and can be purchased on btn2go.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU traveled south for its last matchup, taking on the Golden Eagles of Tennessee State on Dec. 4. The Norse were unable to build momentum in Cookeville, falling in a 55-40 decision. Senior guard Kelley Wiegman led the team for the second time this season with 10 points while Rebecca Lyttle followed with eight points for NKU. The Golden Eagles held a staunch advantage on the boards and in the paint, eventually extending the lead to double-digit figures in the second half of play.
 
HOME SUPPORT: Northern Kentucky currently ranks 58th in the nation and first in the Horizon League in average attendance for home games. When playing at BB&T Arena, the Norse have pulled an average of 2,273 fans per game for a total of 9,092 throughout the four home contests. The most attended game of the year thus far was the Nov. 30 tilt against Stetson, which drew a crowd of 5,332. That number ranks fourth in BB&T Arena history for an NCAA basketball game.
 
NKU VS. THE NATION: With the team easing into its new system under Coach Whitaker, the Norse have already shown strong numbers in a handful of national statistical categories. Most impressively, NKU has been showing disruptive defense at the 3-point line, holding teams to 25.5 percent from long range for the 28th-best 3-point field goal defense percentage among NCAA Division I teams. NKU also ranks in the top-50 in scoring defense, holding teams to just 55.3 points per game for the No. 41 scoring defense in the country. Additionally, the Norse are doing so while playing a clean game as the team ranks 14th in the country in fewest fouls per game at 13.7.
 
SCOUTING INDIANA: The Hoosiers, which were ranked in the AP Top 25 and receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll during the first two weeks of the season, enter Thursday with a 5-3 record. Most recently, Indiana bounced back from an 84-70 loss at North Carolina State to rout North Texas on the road, 94-64. As a team, the Hoosiers are one of the best in the nation at taking care of the ball, ranking 18th in Division I and first in the Big Ten in turnovers per game (18.0). Indiana also does a good job of distributing the ball with 16.3 assists per game, giving the team the 30th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation of 1.25. With well-executed distribution, Indiana ranks 27th in the country with a 46.9 field goal percentage.
  
Junior guard Tyra Buss was recently named to the 50-player Naismith Trophy Women's Preseason Watch List, and for good reason, as the Hoosier ranks 18th in the nation with 21.1 points per game, 24th in steals with 3.14 steals per game, and is 37th in the nation with a .472 clip from 3-point range. Indiana has two more players averaging double figures to help the team put up an average of 78.5 points per game. Alexis Garrison adds 13.8 points a contest, while Amanda Cahill is averaging 12.4 ppg while leading the team with 7.9 rebounds per game.
           
NKU has played Indiana four times in the history of the two programs, but the teams have not met in more than 35 years. The all-time series is tied at 2-2, with NKU winning both games in Highland Heights while the Hoosiers have successfully defended their court in Bloomington on both occasions. The last time NKU played Indiana was at home during the 1979-80 season, when the Norse recorded a 71-62 victory.