HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball wraps up the nonconference schedule at home, hosting Wofford College on Friday, Dec. 20. The Norse and the Terriers are set for a 7 p.m. tip-off inside BB&T Arena, with the game streamed live on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: Four Norse reached double figures as Northern Kentucky took down Indiana State on the road, 70-68.
Ally Niece led the squad with 19 points, including the game-winning shot with five seconds remaining in the game, to go with eight assists and six rebounds.
Molly Glick added 15 points, while
Emmy Souder and
Ivy Turner added 12 and 11, respectively.
Kailey Coffey was just off a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS: 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 9.8 points per game, and is doing so at 41.3 percent from the floor. Turner also averages 2.1 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.
Carissa Garcia has also been an integral part of NKU's offense, averaging 7.2 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 174 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 nine 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 18.1 turnovers per game. That number ranks second in the Horizon League and is just outside the top-100 nationally, and gives NKU a 1.80 turnover margin, also good for second in the league. NKU's defense has been led by Coffey with 14 steals this season while Turner adds 12.
SCOUTING WOFFORD COLLEGE: The Terriers are 6-6 on the season and enter the weekend on a three-game winning streak, holding their opponent to just 38 points in all three victories. On the season, Wofford is averaging 70.9 points per game while holding opponents to 61.7 ppg. However, the Terriers have played a pair of Division II teams, both of which came in the latest stretch of victories. Senior guard Chloe Wanink leads the Terriers in scoring with 19.3 points per game, and is currently boasting a 50-40-90 line at 51.2 percent from the field, 47.4 percent from beyond the arc and 90.6 percent from the free-throw line. Da'Ja Green also adds 13.8 ppg and is dishing out 5.1 assists per game to rank in the top-50 nationally in the statistic. As a team, the Terriers shoot 41.7 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from 3-point territory, the latter of which ranks 22nd nationally. Wofford also boasts a 4.92 turnover ratio to rank 47th nationally.
Wofford is the fifth and final first-time opponent that NKU will play in the nonconference portion of the schedule. NKU has gone 3-1 against first-time foes, defeating Central Arkansas, Florida International and Omaha while falling to Saint Louis.
