HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball welcomes Horizon League foe Milwaukee to BB&T Arena for the first game of the New Year. The Norse take on the Panthers at 7 p.m ET on Thursday, Jan. 3, with the game broadcast on ESPN+.
 
GAME DAY PROMOTIONS: Thursday night will serve as Boone and Kenton County Night, which provides $3 tickets for residents of Boone and Kenton County with a valid ID.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse fell on the road to IUPUI, 70-48, on Sunday afternoon. Ally Niece led the Norse in scoring, tying her career high of 12 points, while Kailey Coffey paced the Norse on the boards with seven rebounds and dished out four assists. Both the Norse and the Jaguars ranked 66th nationally in rebounding margin (+5.8), and the Norse won the battle with a 37-33 rebounding advantage.
 
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE: The Panthers' league-opening weekend featured just one contest as Milwaukee fell to league favorite Green Bay, 76-62, on Dec. 28. Milwaukee is 5-7 overall, including a three-game win streak to Purdue Fort Wayne, North Dakota and North Dakota State prior to the end of the nonconference schedule. Jamie Reit and Megan Walstad have been leading the Panthers in scoring with 11.0 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Reit is the team's leading 3-point shooter, sinking 27 on the year at a .386 clip. The Panthers are a strong shooting team from range as they rank 43rd nationally with 8.3 triples per contest and do so at 35.7 percent, good for No. 49 in the nation. Milwaukee is also averaging 4.2 blocks per game, good for 73rd nationally, led by Ryaen Johnson with 1.92 rejections per game. The Panthers take care of the ball well with 15.0 turnovers per game, and Mckaela Schmelzer holds a 2.04 assist-to-turnover ratio while dishing out 4.3 assists per game.
           
Milwaukee holds a 4-2 lead in the all-time series, which began when the Norse joined the Horizon League during the 2015-16 season. Both contests last season were decided by three points, with the Panthers claiming a 52-49 win in BB&T Arena on Dec. 28 before the Norse avenged the loss with a 60-57 decision on Feb. 3 in Milwaukee.