HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball lifts the lid on the 2019-20 campaign this week, traveling to in-state rival Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 6. The first game of the season will tip off at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse gave fans a first glimpse of this year's squad in an exhibition game on Oct. 31, in which NKU defeated Division II Davis & Elkins, 73-47. Freshman
Carissa Garcia led the Norse with 16 points and also dished out three assists, while
Molly Glick added 14 points and eight rebounds.
Grayson Rose was just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds and
Ally Niece scored eight points and dished out five assists while committing just one turnover.
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.
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky enters its inaugural season with first-year head coach Samantha Williams, who spent the previous eight seasons at Louisville and helped the Cardinals make four trips to the Elite Eight, including a national championship appearance. The Colonels are coming off a 2-27 campaign, with wins over Brescia and Kentucky Christian, and did not secure a win in Ohio Valley Conference play. However, Eastern Kentucky is likely to have a new look with just five returners from last season's squad in addition to nine newcomers. Shay Solomon is the leading returning scorer, averaging 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 2018-19. Bria Bass also returns for the season, contributing 9.9 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game last year. Eastern Kentucky averaged 54.5 ppg and shot 36.7 percent from the field while allowing 71.0 ppg at a .424 clip.
Northern Kentucky holds a 9-4 advantage over EKU in the all-time series, but the two times have not met since the 1982-83 season. In that contest in Richmond, Eastern Kentucky came out on top of a 90-61 decision.
PRESEASON LEAGUE SHAKEDOWN: The Norse were picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League, according to a preseason poll of head coaches, matching last season's projection. Green Bay and Wright State tied for the top spot with 91 points and four first-place votes each.
2019-20 Horizon League Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
| Rank |
Team |
Points (First-place votes) |
| 1 |
Green Bay |
91(4) |
| 1 |
Wright State |
91 (4) |
| 3 |
IUPUI |
85 (2) |
| 4 |
Youngstown State |
71 |
| 5 |
Milwaukee |
57 |
| 6 |
Northern Kentucky |
51 |
| 7 |
Cleveland State |
37 |
| 8 |
Oakland |
31 |
| 9 |
Detroit Mercy |
19 |
| 10 |
UIC |
17 |
