HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky heads to Providence, Rhode Island, this week for the Friar Holiday Classic, hosted by Providence. The three-day tournament, held on Dec. 19-21, will pit the Norse against La Salle, Providence and Pepperdine. NKU kicks off the tournament with La Salle on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m., followed by the host Friars at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 20. The tournament wraps up at noon on Friday, Dec. 21 versus the Waves. All games will be streamed on Friars All-Access, a paid subscription service.

LAST TIME OUT: NKU took on the No. 3 team in the nation and fell on the road to Louisville, 92-59. The Norse saw strong production out of their forwards, with Grayson Rose tying her career high of 16 points to lead the way in scoring while Kailey Coffey posted her fourth career double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Emmy Souder also chipped in nine points, as did Molly Glick as she cracked NKU's all-time top-10 list in career 3-pointers.
 
SCOUTING LA SALLE: The Explorers sit at 1-9 overall, with its lone win coming against Norfolk State on Dec. 9. La Salle is led in scoring by Deja King with 8.5 points and 2.5 assists per game. Four Explorers average at least 7.0 points per game on the season, and Shalina Miller paces the team on the boards with 6.0 rebounds per game to go with 6.6 ppg and 13 blocks on the year. Freshman Janay Sanders had strong outings with 8.0 ppg in her three starts, including a team-high 12 versus No. 9 Oregon State, but has not played in the past two contests.
  
As a team, La Salle has been averaging 51.4 points per contest and is outscored by an average of 23.1 points, with the team shooting 29.2 percent and opponents connecting at 43.3 percent from the field. The Explorers are also heavily outrebounded, 48.2-35.2, but a disruptive defense forces 18.9 turnovers per game while committing 18.0 miscues a contest themselves. La Salle's strongest statistic is the steals category, as the team leads the Atlantic 10 and ranks 67th nationally with 9.9 steals per game.
 
SCOUTING PROVIDENCE: The Friars are 5-4 on the year, most recently dropping a 65-59 decision to Northeastern on Dec. 15. Providence's roster features two players averaging double digits, with Jovana Nogic leading the way at 14.6 ppg, bolstered by 28 made 3-pointers that are good for 43rd in the nation. The senior guard also leads the team in steals with 2.0 per game, while Mary Baskerville provides help down low with 10 blocks on the season to go with 6.0 rebounds per game. Chanell Williams joins Nogic in double figures, averaging 10.7 ppg while shooting 55.4 percent from the field.
 
Providence boasts one of the best 3-point field goal defense in the nation, holding teams to 24.8 percent from beyond the arc to rank 17th nationally, and is No. 44 in overall field goal percentage defense at 35.3 percent. The Friars also hold opponents to 57.9 ppg, good for No. 69 nationally, and force 18.78 turnovers per contest. Offensively, Providence averages 62.8 ppg and shoots 40.9 percent from the field.
 
SCOUTING PEPPERDINE: Pepperdine holds the best record entering the weekend at 5-2, with losses to Colorado and Idaho State. The Waves have not played in over 10 days, with the last contest being a close 65-63 loss at Idaho State on Dec. 8. Pepperdine averages 74.6 points per game and shooting 42.3 percent from the field, including 37.2 percent from 3-point range. The Waves also protect the ball well, committing just 14.1 turnovers per game for No. 55 nationally.
  
The team is led by senior forward Yasmine Robinson-Bacote, who is No. 16 nationally with 21.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg. Robinson-Bacote shoots 50.8 percent from the field, and is also a threat from 3-point range as she has 11 made triples on 22 attempts. Paige Fecske is second on the team in scoring with 11.4 ppg, but has missed the past two games, and Barbara Sitanggan chips in 10.4 ppg while running the offense with the second-best assist-to-turnover in the nation (4.43). The junior guard has dished out 31 assists and committed just seven turnovers this season.
 
NEW GROUND: Northern Kentucky will face all three teams for the first time in program history. The Norse have seen little action against teams from the respective conferences as well, holding a 3-6 mark against Atlantic-10 opponents and  an 8-4 mark against those from the BIG EAST. The game against Pepperdine will serve as the first-ever matchup against an opponent from the current alignment of the West Coast Conference.