HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball looks for its fourth-straight victory on Sunday, Dec. 1, as the Norse close out the FIU Thanksgiving Classic against host Florida International. Tipoff against the Panthers is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on CUSA.tv.
LAST TIME OUT: Northern Kentucky won its third-straight game with a gritty 66-63 win over Jacksonville State. The Norse made up for lost ground from the first quarter and tied it up at 33 by halftime, and battled the Gamecocks for the advantage until the final seconds of the game.
Ally Niece and
Molly Glick led the Norse with 16 points and four rebounds each, as Niece sank five key free throws in the closing seconds of the contest to keep the Norse ahead while Glick was red-hot with four 3-pointers on five attempts.
Ivy Turner and
Emmy Souder also reached double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively, with Souder coming up just shy of a double-double with nine rebounds.
MILESTONE TRACKER: Glick currently has 989 career points, putting her just 11 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 163 career 3-pointers, overtaking 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 six 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 19.1 turnovers per game. That number leads the Horizon League and ranks in the top-75 nationally, and gives NKU a 3.60 turnover margin. NKU's defense has been led by Turner with 10 steals this season while
Kailey Coffey adds nine. Every member of the Norse squad has stolen at least two balls just seven games into the season.
SCOUTING FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL: The Panthers sit at 1-4 overall and are still searching for their first win at home, with their lone victory being a 70-63 road win at Georgia State. FIU is coming off a 58-49 loss to Horizon League member Oakland, but finished strong by outscoring the Golden Grizzlies by 12 points in the final quarter. Junior guard Jiselle Thomas paces the team with 17.0 points per game while senior center Chelsea Guimaraes chips in 11.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The Panthers shoot 39.3 percent from the floor, but allow their opponents to shoot 40.2 percent, including 31.6 percent from beyond the arc. Despite being close in shooting percentage to their opponents, FIU has put up more than 60 fewer shots than its opponents through five games, leading to a -13.6 scoring margin. FIU's defense has also allowed foes to maintain possession of the ball as its opponents are forced into just 8.4 turnovers per game.
Florida International is one of five first-time opponents that the Norse will face during the nonconference schedule. NKU is 2-1 against such opponents, defeating Central Arkansas and Omaha while falling to Saint Louis.
