HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball plays its first of two games this weekend on Friday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. ET. The Norse face Jacksonville State during the FIU Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by Florida International in Miami, Florida.
LAST TIME OUT: Northern Kentucky posted its second win in as many outings as the Norse had one of their highest scoring outputs of the young season with a 72-56 victory over Central Arkansas. Three Norse scored in double figures, led by
Ally Niece with 14 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.
Ivy Turner got the Norse going with 13 points in the first half, also adding six rebounds to her stat line.
Molly Glick was the third Norse to hit double figures with 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. The Norse forced hte Sugar Bears into 26 turnovers, led by
Emmy Souder's four steals.
MILESTONE TRACKER: Glick currently has 973 career points, putting her just 27 away from scoring the 1,000th point of her career. Accomplishing the feat would make Glick the 30th Norse to hit the milestone, and she would also be just the second player to score 1,000 points in the Division I era. Christine Roush was the first fully D-I player to hit 1,000 career points, as she finished her 2012-16 career with 1,439 points. Melody Doss (2011-15) also reached 1,154 points in her career, but played her freshman campaign in the Division II era.
Glick also has 159 career 3-pointers, tying Michele Tuchfarber (1997-2001) for third on NKU's all-time career 3-pointers list. She has made at least two 3-pointers in the last five outings.
KEEPING THEM OFF BALANCE: Northern Kentucky's defense has caused a good deal of turmoil for opposing teams this season, as the Norse are forcing their foes into 20.33 turnovers per game. That number leads the Horizon League and ranks 63rd nationally, and gives NKU a 5.00 turnover margin that is good for second in the league and 57th nationally. NKU's defense has been led by Turner with eight steals this season while
Carissa Garcia and
Kailey Coffey adds seven. Every member of the Norse squad has stolen at least one ball just six games into the season.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: The Gamecocks have gone 3-3 on the season, winning all three of their home contests and dropping all three of their road games. Jacksonville State is coming off an 87-65 victory over Division II opponent Fort Valley State, and has also posted wins over Florida A&M and Lipscomb. The Gamecocks lost an All-OVC First Team selection to graduation, but return four starters and plenty of reserves, including the 2019 OVC Newcomer of the Year, Destiney Elliott. The transfer from Alabama is tied for the team lead in points, averaging 13.2 points per game while also grabbing 5.8 rebounds and leading the team with 15 assists and seven blocks. Also putting up 13.2 ppg is junior guard Taylor Hawks, who adds 13 assists and a team-high nine steals to her stat line but has also turned the ball over 27 times in six games.
As a team, Jacksonville State has been scoring 69.5 ppg but has allowed opponents to average 74.2 ppg. Similarly, the Gamecocks shoot 37.4 percent from the floor, but their foes have had the edge at 40.8 percent. Northern Kentucky has met up with Jacksonville State just once in the history of the two programs, with NKU winning 68-59 during the 1989-90 season.
