HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball wraps up its trip to Music City with a Sunday matinee at Belmont. Tip-off against the Bruins is set for 3 p.m CT/4 ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: NKU and Lipscomb had a back-and-forth battle for much of Friday's contest, but it was the Bisons who escaped with a win after a game-tying 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining and two last-second free throws to seal the win.
Molly Glick had a career scoring night with 22 points, shooting 50.0 percent from the field, while
Carissa Garcia added 11 points and
Emmy Souder had 10.
SCOUTING BELMONT: The Bruins are receiving a vote in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll and sit at 2-1 on the year with wins over Chattanooga and Central Florida and a setback at Western Kentucky. Belmont is led by senior Ellie Harmeyer, who is averaging a double-double through three games with 18.3 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. In addition to being efficient from the field, Harmeyer has taken 25 of the team's 41 free throws this season, converting 20 of them. Conley Chinn also adds a double-figure scoring average at 10.0 ppg, and Jamilyn Kinney is not far off at 9.0 ppg. As a team, the Bruins have been averaging 60.3 ppg and conceding 54.7 ppg. Belmont shoots at 42.0 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range, but have also allowed opponents to do well at 35.5 percent from the floor and 31.5 percent from beyond the arc. Led by Harmeyer, Belmont has a presence on the boards and a +12.0 rebounding average. The Bruins have been the victim of 10 steals per game and turn the ball over an average of 20 times per contest.
Belmont and NKU have met just twice in the history of the two programs. The Bruins won the most recent meeting, 71-53, on Nov. 21, 2018. Northern Kentucky also has a win in the series, a 62-54 victory in Highland Heights during the 1982-83 campaign.
A LOOK AT THE NORSE: Northern Kentucky returns 91.1 percent of its scoring from a season ago, including all five starters. Redshirt-senior
Molly Glick, a preseason all-league honoree, is the lone senior on the squad.
Ally Niece returns for her sophomore campaign after being named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team, averaging 12.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in league play. Northern Kentucky also welcomes four newcomers who look to make an immediate impact:
Janna Lewis,
Carissa Garcia,
Tayah Irvin and
Ivy Turner. Lewis joins the Norse out of Motlow State Community College, where she was named an NJCAA All-American. Garcia, a guard out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was named to the Indiana All-Star team and was the Summit Athletic Conference's most outstanding player. Irvin, a forward from Fishers, Indiana, was heralded as the top defensive player for Hamilton Southeastern. Turner, a guard from Danville, Kentucky, was named the 12th Region Co-Player of the Year and ended her prep career as Danville's all-time leading scorer.
