HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball continues its road trip with a matinee contest at Cleveland State on Saturday, Jan. 27. Tip-off against the Vikings is slated for 1 p.m. ET and the game 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 had an up-and-down outing at Youngstown State, shooting over 50.0 percent in the first and third quarters and under 20.0 percent in the second and fourth. NKU ultimately lost by three to the Penguins due to a baseline jumper and made free throw within 30 seconds of the game's end.
Molly Glick led all players in scoring with 18 points and had a flawless 4-for-4 performance from long range, while
Taryn Taugher added 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings hold down the fifth spot in the Horizon League standings after going 5-4 in the first half of the league slate. CSU is coming off an overtime upset over Wright State, 71-70, with Ashanti Abshaw and Khayla Livingston both pouring in 20 points for the win. The duo makes up the top scoring tandem in the Horizon League, with Abshaw ranking second with 19.6 ppg while Livingston is fifth at 15.5 ppg. The Vikings also get experienced production out of Olivia Voskuhl, who is the team's leading rebounder with 7.3 rpg and is also averaging 12.4 ppg.
As a team, Cleveland State ranks third in the Horizon League with 9.0 steals per game, led by Abshaw with 2.74 swipes a contest to hold down the top spot in the league. The Vikings average 66.4 ppg and surrender 65.9 ppg, making for a slim +0.5 scoring margin.
Cleveland State holds a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series, and the two teams last met less than two weeks ago when the Vikings used tremendous 3-point shooting from Livingston to pull away with a 70-65 victory on Jan. 15.
ROOKIES IN THE RANKS: NKU has had some key performances from its freshman class, which has come in to contribute right away. Two rookies help lead the team in rebounding (
Kailey Coffey - 6.6 rpg;
Grace White - 4.6 rpg) to keep the Norse at a +3.0 rebounding margin over opponents, a number that ranks fifth in the Horizon League. Coffey has the 11th-highest rebounding average in the Horizon League, and sits at fifth in the League with 2.8 offensive rpg. Since entering League play, Coffey has been averaging 10.7 points at a .484 clip, a shooting percentage that ranks among the League's top performers. Both Coffey and White have been honored as the Horizon League Freshman of the Week during the season, making NKU the only institution this year to have two different rookies honored.
