HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Normal, Illinois, to take on the Redbirds of Illinois State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 15, and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 with streaming available on computers, tablets, smart phones and streaming devices through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.

LAST TIME OUT: The Norse came out of the gates with intensity in the season opener against Kent State on Nov. 11, shooting 63.6 percent in the first quarter and leading the Golden Flashes 34-25 at the half. But a 10-minute scoring drought in the second half proved to be too detrimental for NKU to overcome, as Kent State swung the lead for a 59-54 decision. Molly Glick led the Norse in scoring, pouring in 15 points with a 3-for-6 outing from long range. In her debut game, Grace White recorded a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Kailey Coffey pulled down 12 rebounds in her first career game as a Norse.
 
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE: After going 8-23 last season, including 4-14 in Missouri Valley Conference play, the Redbirds brought in Kristen Gillespie to take over the program. The six-year coaching veteran had immense success at the Division II level and was honored as the WBCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year.
  
NKU will be the second Horizon League team that the Redbirds face this year after opening up the 2017-18 season with a 64-43 loss to Oakland. Though the Redbirds lost their top two scorers from last season, the squad added the NJCAA DII Player of the Year, Simone Goods, to the roster. Goods had a tremendous outing against the Golden Grizzlies, scoring more than half the team's points with 22 points to go with 11 rebounds. Goods was the go-to player in the contest, but the Redbirds also saw a large number of field goal attempts from returning player Katrina Beck.
  
Wednesday will mark the seventh meeting between NKU and Illinois State in program history, with the Norse holding a 4-2 advantage over the Redbirds. NKU has won both contests since transitioning to Division I, with a 61-48 victory at home on Nov. 13, 2013, and a 59-48 road win on Nov. 19, 2014.
 
YOUNG BLOOD: With Mikayla Terry being the team's lone senior, Northern Kentucky's roster features 11 underclassmen in its 12 active players. That makes NKU one of the youngest teams in NCAA Division I, trailing only Alabama A&M with regards to percentage of underclassmen, as the Lady Bulldogs have 13 underclassmen out of 14 active players. The Norse also have one of the most freshman-laden rosters in NCAA Division I with 58.3 percent of the roster being rookie players. Only Fordham (64.3 percent), Savannah State (60.0 percent) and Air Force (58.8 percent) have higher ratios of freshmen on a squad. (Special thanks to Fort Wayne's Brian Alden for compiling the corresponding data).