HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball is back at home on Saturday, Jan. 5, to host Horizon League favorite Green Bay. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
GAME DAY PROMOTIONS: Saturday afternoon will be NKU's Fan Appreciation Day, which provides $1 admission to all fans. The first 500 fans will also receive a free #NorseUp foam finger.
LAST TIME OUT: NKU posted a thrilling 55-54 victory over Milwaukee in the first game of the New Year as
Kailey Coffey hit a pair of clutch free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining to propel the Norse to victory. In the first half, NKU battled to get within a point of the Panthers, but pulled away to a three-point advantage following the third quarter. Milwaukee used a late run to go ahead by five, 54-49, but the Norse went on a 6-0 run in the final minute with fastbreak buckets from Coffey and
Grace White before Coffey sank her game-winning free throws.
Ally Niece led the Norse in scoring with 11 points and added five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals, and
Grayson Rose led the Norse on the boards with 12 rebounds.
SCOUTING GREEN BAY: The Phoenix were picked to win the Horizon League according to the preseason coaches poll, but are off to a 1-1 start following an 85-67 setback to Wright State on Thursday evening. Green Bay has been plagued by mishaps recently, losing 2018 Horizon League All-Freshman honoree Karly Murphy to a season-ending injury in the first minute of the season's first contest and, and took on Wright State without the help of leading scorer Frankie Wurtz, who had been averaging 11.9 points per game. The Phoenix roster features preseason first team pick Jen Wellnitz, who is posting 8.3 points, 2.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Green Bay's defense has been a trademark of the program, and this year is no different as the Phoenix hold teams to 57.5 points per game at 36.1 percent to rank 61st and 57th nationally, respectively. The Phoenix also take care of the ball well, with 14.4 turnovers per game but conversely only force 14.92 miscues from their opponents.
Green Bay holds a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series, with NKU's lone win coming on Dec. 30, 2017. The Norse upended the then-No. 19 Phoenix at BB&T Arena, 62-54, in one of the biggest upsets of the women's college basketball season. It marked just the second time that any NKU program had defeated a Division I ranked opponent.
