HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball fell in a close matchup against Horizon League opponent Cleveland State. The Norse were down 11 at the half, but battled back and outscored Cleveland State in the second half, ultimately falling 58-54. NKU drops to 4-11 overall and 0-3 in the Horizon League, while Cleveland State advances to 7-6 overall and 2-0 in League play.
Stat Leaders
- Junior guard Mikayla Terry led the Norse in scoring with 14 points, all in the second half. Junior forward Kasey Uetrecht added 12 as NKU's only other double-digit scorer.
- Redshirt-senior forward Rebecca Lyttle was one rebound shy of tying her season high in offensive rebounds with nine and 13 total rebounds.
- Redshirt-senior guard Shar'Rae Davis tied her season and career high with seven assists on the night while also nabbing a season-high three assists.
First Half Summary
- Cleveland State took an early lead, but a 3-point basket by senior guard Kelley Wiegman stopped the Vikings' 5-0 run. NKU replied with its own 5-0 run, moving the Norse within one.
- NKU out-rebounded Cleveland State 17-11, 8-0 on offensive boards, in the half.
- CSU ended the first quarter with a 7-2 run and extended it into the second quarter making it a 12-2 run until Uetrecht forced their run to a halt, putting up four points in a row for the Norse.
- Davis' drawn charge set the tone at the end of the first half for NKU, giving the Norse the spark they needed to go into half time coming off of an 8-3 run trailing, 32-23.
Second Half Summary
- Coming out of halftime, NKU carried the momentum with them and opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run, culminating in the first tie of the game at 32-32.
- NKU took the lead halfway through the third as a Davis triple flipped the score in favor of the Norse, 35-34.
- NKU shot 43.8 percent, holding Cleveland State to a 25.0 shooting percentage to close out the third quarter.
- NKU outshot Cleveland State 43.8 percent to 25.0 percent to outscore the Vikings, 16-7. Both teams went shot for shot, ending the third quarter tied at 39-39.
- A steal by redshirt-freshman guard Taryn Taugher and a Davis layup put the Norse within one, 52-51 with 24.7 seconds left in the game. The Norse attempted to extend the game and increase possessions by fouling in the closing seconds, but flawless free throw shooting by Cleveland State left the Vikings with the lead for the 58-54 final score.
Norse Notes
- NKU is now 3-2 on the all-time series against Cleveland State.
- NKU shut out Cleveland State on the offensive boards in the first half, 8-0.
- The Norse shot 48.1 percent in the second half, holding Cleveland State to a 36.0 shooting percentage.
- The largest run of the game was 10-2 by the Norse to give them their first lead of the game.
- The matchup had four ties and six lead changes, all in the second half of the game.
- Twenty of NKU's 54 points came from the 16 turnovers the Norse forced. NKU outscored the Vikings on points off turnovers, 20-8.
- The Norse outrebounded the Vikings 36-24, 15-6 on the offensive side of the boards.
Up Next
- NKU remains at home to host Youngstown State on Saturday, Jan. 7. The Penguins will come to BB&T Arena for a 7 p.m. ET tilt, which will be broadcast on the ESPN3 platform. Fans can stream the game live on computers, tablets and smart phones through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
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