HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball continues play in the Horizon league on Saturday, Jan. 7, when the Norse host Youngstown State for a 7 p.m. ET matchup. The game will be carried on the ESPN3 platform with Andrew Kappes on play-by-play for the Norse while Karmen Graham will serve as analyst. Fans can stream the game live on computers, tablets and smart phones through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
LAST TIME OUT: NKU battled back to tie Cleveland State in the second half despite trailing by nine at halftime, but the Vikings ultimately pulled away for a 58-54 victory on Thursday night. The Norse had multiple ties and leads throughout the second half and were knotted with the Vikings at 49-49 with 45 seconds remaining, but a critical triple from CSU's Khayla Livingston put Cleveland State ahead by three with NKU forced to foul in an attempt to extend time and possessions. Unfortunately, the Vikings were flawless at the free throw line, with NKU unable to close the scoring gap.
Junior guard
Mikayla Terry led NKU in scoring with 14 points, all in the second half, while redshirt-senior forward
Rebecca Lyttle was just one point short of a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds. Redshirt-senior guard
Shar'Rae Davis matched her career high with seven assists while also nabbing a season-best three steals and drawing a trio of charges to aid the Norse defense.
SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN STATE: Like NKU, Youngstown State is searching for its first win in the Horizon League as well as its fifth overall win on the season. The Penguins opened up the League slate against Cleveland State, falling in a close 71-68 road matchup, before taking on Wright State on Thursday evening. YSU fell to the Raiders by way of a 71-58 decision.
The Penguins rank in the middle of the Horizon League in scoring offense at 68.2 points per game, but are near the bottom of the League in scoring defense as YSU allows 73.1 ppg. Youngstown State is also one of the best in the League when it comes to sharing the ball, averaging 16.50 assists per game to rank just behind Green Bay, while also boasting the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the League at 1.10, sitting just outside the national top 50 in the category.
In terms of individual standouts, Mary Dunn is one of three Penguins averaging double-digit scoring numbers, but the rookie forward is one of the most efficient scorers in the nation at a .543 clip. The Penguins also rely on Sarah Cash and Indiya Benjamin, who average 11.6 and 11.5 ppg, the latter of which is the team's top 3-point shooter with 26 made triples at 34.7 percent. Benjamin also paces the team in assists, dishing out 5.2 apg to rank in the top 50 nationally and second in the League.
NKU has faced Youngstown State four times in the history of the two teams with a 3-1 all-time record against the Penguins, but the Norse have not dropped a matchup to YSU since joining the Horizon League in the 2015-16 season. Last year, NKU downed the Penguins on their home turf, 88-77, before sweeping the series with a 70-59 win in BB&T Arena.
