HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball returns to the court after a week-long hiatus, heading to Indiana State for the final nonconference road game of the season. Tip-off against the Sycamores is set for 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Dec. 16, and the game will be carried on ESPN3. 

LAST TIME OUT: Northern Kentucky only trailed then-No. 2/2 Louisville by two points at the half, but the Cardinals used a second-half surge to take last Sunday's contest at BB&T Arena. Molly Glick and Carissa Garcia led the Norse with 13 points each and combined for five of NKU's nine 3-pointers. Ally Niece also added a double-digit scoring effort with 12 points.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOMS: Ivy Turner has been making an immediate impact in her rookie campaign, starting in all eight contests for the Norse. The Danville, Kentucky, native is third on the team in scoring with 9.7 points per game, and is doing so at 40.9 percent from the floor. Turner also averages 2.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. On Dec. 2, she was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week after helping the Norse record three victories over the course of the past week. Turner had double-digit scoring efforts in all three contests, averaging 12.7 ppg at 55.0 percent from the floor. She also added 5.3 rpg and dished out five assists while nabbing three steals in wins over Central Arkansas, Jacksonville State and FIU.
  
Garcia has also been an integral part of NKU's offense, averaging 8.0 ppg to sit just behind Turner. The rookie guard was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week on Dec. 9 following her performance against No. 2/2 Louisville, in which she led the team with 13 points and five assists.
 
MILESTONE TRACKER: On Dec. 1, Glick was sent to the free throw line following a technical foul called on Florida International. Making both shots gave the redshirt-senior her 1,000th career point, making her the 30th Norse to hit the milestone in program history. Glick is also 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 171 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 eight 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 18.6 turnovers per game. That number ranks second in the Horizon League and is just outside the top-100 nationally, and gives NKU a 2.56 turnover margin, also good for second in the league. NKU's defense has been led by Kailey Coffey with 13 steals this season while Turner adds 10. Every member of the Norse squad has stolen at least two balls just eight games into the season.
 
SCOUTING INDIANA STATE: The Sycamores hold a 2-7 record this season with wins over Eastern Illinois and Horizon League member UIC, and is looking to snap a five-game losing skid. Indiana State has been averaging 61.9 ppg, while allowing opponents to post 68.3 ppg. The Sycamores have been a strong rebounding team with 40.1 boards per contest, and have also had presence down low with 3.4 blocks per game. The team's strongest statistic is its 3-point defense as the Sycamores rank 52nd nationally by holding opponents to 26.6 percent from beyond the arc. Offensively, Indiana State has been successful at getting to the free-throw line, ranking 59th nationally, but converts at just 62.1 percent from the charity stripe. Jasmine Elder is the only player averaging double digits with 10.6 points per game and she is also the team's top 3-point shooter with 14 made treys. LeAndra Echi has been the team's top rim protector with 10 blocked shots this year while also leading the Sycamores on the boards with 8.4 rpg.
           
Northern Kentucky leads the all-time series with Indiana State, 6-2. The Sycamores claimed the latest contest over the Norse on Nov. 11, 2016 in Terre Haute, Indiana.