HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball continues its three-game road swing this weekend, first travelling to Valparaiso, Indiana, to take on the Crusaders of Valparaiso. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT from the Valpo Athletics-Recreation Center, and the game will be broadcast on the ESPN3 platform with Jordan Morandini on play-by-play and Alex Adrian as analyst for the Crusaders. Fans can stream Monday's contest live on computers, tablets and smart phones via WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU hit the road for a rare Monday game at Detroit Mercy on Jan. 16, falling in a back-and-forth battle with the Titans, 57-49. The Norse rallied back to tie the game, but a pair of consecutive 3-pointers by Detroit Mercy in the fourth quarter allowed the Titans to pull away for the victory. Redshirt-freshman guard Taryn Taugher returned to the starting lineup for the Norse and led the team in scoring with 14 points, eclipsing the 10-point plateau for the first time in her career. NKU also saw 12 points out of junior forward Kasey Uetrecht and a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds from senior forward Rebecca Lyttle, her fourth of the season. The Norse were able to hold the Titans, who were ranked 16th in the country in defensive rebounding with 30 a game, to just 19 defensive rebounds and 27 overall boards.
 
SCOUTING VALPARAISO: The Crusaders hold an identical overall record as the Norse, sitting at 5-13, but have yet to win a Horizon League matchup with a 0-7 record. Valpo ranks in the bottom half of the League in most statistical categories, averaging 62.8 points per game while allowing 74.3 ppg. The top stat line for the Crusaders is their shot blocking, which tops the League at 4.2 rejections a game, led by 6-foot-4 center Amber Lindfors with 2.24 blocks a game to rank in the top 30 nationally. Valpo's lineup also features one of the top scorers in the League, with Dani Franklin averaging 18.2 ppg behind efficient performances across the board. Franklin leads the League in 3-point field goal percentage at 44.8 percent, good for 18th in the country, and is also connecting at a .466 clip from the entire field and 86.2 percent from the free throw line.
           
The series history with the Crusaders only dates back to last season, when NKU joined the Horizon League. Valpo took the first meeting in a 61-60 heartbreaker in Highland Heights, but the Norse avenged the loss with a 68-50 win on the road and a 76-53 decision in the second round of the Horizon League Championship.