HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball remains on the road for the first pair of Horizon League contests, wrapping up the opening week of play at Milwaukee on Monday, Dec. 30. Tip-off against the Panthers is set for 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: Preseason Horizon League favorite Green Bay shot above 60.0 percent in the opening half to establish what would be an insurmountable lead over the Norse en route to a 65-44 win in Wisconsin. The Norse had a much improved second half, outscoring the Phoenix 31-18 and outrebounding them 25-18.
Ally Niece and
Molly Glick had nine and eight points, respectively, while
Kailey Coffey,
Grayson Rose and
Emmy Souder each had six rebounds.
A TALE OF TWO PRESEASONS: Northern Kentucky posted a winning nonconference record at 6-5, winning six of the last seven contests after dropping the first four games of the season. The Norse showed drastic differences between the first four games of the year and the next seven, with the only setback in the latter span being to then-No. 2/2 Louisville. The most impactful improvement was Northern Kentucky's offensive power. NKU went from a -12.7 scoring margin, scoring 54.5 points per game in the first four games, to a +5.7 margin and 67.0 ppg in the last seven. NKU can thank its field-goal efficiency for that jump as the Norse shot up from 31.4 percent in the first four games of nonconference play to 41.6 percent in the last seven, including an improvement from 22.1 percent to 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS: Ivy Turner has been making an immediate impact in her rookie campaign, starting in all 12 contests for the Norse. The Danville, Kentucky, native is third on the team in scoring with 8.8 points per game, and is doing so at 39.5 percent from the floor. Turner also averages 2.1 assists and 3.8 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 7.8 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 178 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 11 outings.
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE: The Panthers entered Horizon League play with a 3-8 nonconference record, but opened up league action with an upset of Wright State, which tied Green Bay for the top spot atop the preseason poll. Sophomore guard Sydney Levy, who posted 20 points off six 3-pointers in the Panthers' win over the Raiders, leads the team with 8.9 points per game, while Brandi Bisping and Sydney Staver are not far behind with 8.7 and 8.0 ppg, respectively. Levy's biggest weapon is her 3-point shooting, as 76 of her 97 field-goal attempts this season have come from beyond the arc. As a team, the Panthers shoot 38.3 percent from the floor and allow opponents to shoot 42.0 percent, and hold a -10.2 scoring margin through 12 games. The Panthers have been turnover-prone this season, ranking ninth in the Horizon League with 19.8 turnovers per game.
Milwaukee holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series with the Norse, which dates back to when Northern Kentucky joined the Horizon League in the 2015-16 season. Last season, each team won on its home court, with Milwaukee claiming the most recent matchup on Feb. 9.
