HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball welcomes its highest-ranked opponent to date into BB&T Arena as the Norse host No. 2/2 Louisville on Sunday, Dec. 8, with tip-off at 2 p.m. ET and a broadcast on ESPN+. Prior to the contest, NKU will honor redshirt-senior Molly Glick for her 1,000th career point scored as well as present visiting head coach Jeff Walz, an NKU alumnus and former member of the Norse men's basketball team, with a ceremonial ball.
 
GAME DAY PROMOTIONS: Sunday will serve as Campbell County Day, which provides $5 admission to all fans from Campbell County with proof of residence. Northern Kentucky is also offering a $14 ticket package, which includes admission to both the women's game and the men's 7 p.m. game against Eastern Kentucky. Fans should also be advised that all general parking will be directed to the Welcome Center Garage, with Lot O access reserved for those with permits.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Northern Kentucky won its fourth-straight game, upending Florida International on the road, 67-45. Glick led the Norse in scoring with a career-high 24 points, including five 3-pointers, and was later named the tournament MVP. Ally Niece added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists with no turnovers, and she was also named to the all-tournament team. Rounding out double-digit scorers was Ivy Turner, chipping in 13 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM: Turner has been making an immediate impact in her rookie campaign, starting in all eight contests for the Norse. The Danville, Kentucky, native is second on the team in scoring with 10.4 points per game, and is doing so at 40.3 percent from the floor. Turner also averages 2.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. On Monday, 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.
 
A TALE OF TWO PRESEASONS: The Norse got off to a slow start this season, but after dropping the first four contests, have strung together a four-game winning streak. In the first four games of the season, Northern Kentucky had a -12.7 scoring margin, but the team has flipped the script on that statistic and outscored the last four opponents by 14.5 ppg. The Norse have also found their groove from beyond the arc, improving from 22.1 percent in the first four games of the year to 34.1 percent in the last four. NKU's defense has also picked up as the Norse are nabbing 10.0 steals per game and hold a +5.3 turnover margin in its victories. Glick, Niece and Turner have all been averaging double figures during the winning streak to lead NKU's offense.
 
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 168 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 seven 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 18.8 turnovers per game. That number ranks second in the Horizon League and is in the top-100 nationally, and gives NKU a 3.38 turnover margin, good for first in the league and 72nd in the nation. The Norse also rank 89th nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to 59.1 points per game. NKU's defense has been led by Kailey Coffey with 12 steals while Turner adds 10. Every member of the Norse squad has stolen at least two balls just eight games into the season.
 
SCOUTING LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals moved up to No. 2 in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/Coaches Poll after upsetting top-ranked Oregon on Nov. 30. However, Louisville's eight-game winning streak came to an end on Thursday night as unranked Ohio State claimed a 67-60 win over the Cardinals in Columbus. Dana Evans, who was named the USBWA and ESPNW National Player of the Week following her performance against Oregon, leads the Cardinals with 19.4 points per game. The junior guard is one of the top 3-point shooters in the nation, sinking 27 triples this season at 50.9 percent. Jazmine Jones and Kylee Shook also average double-digit scoring, with Elizabeth Balogun not far behind with 9.9 ppg thanks to 17 made triples this year. As a team, the Cardinals rank in the top-50 nationally in several statistical categories, including 33rd with a +18.4 scoring margin and 29th with a +10.1 rebounding margin.
           
The all-time series with the Cardinals is tied at 12-12 and was renewed last season after not having met since the 1989-90 campaign. On Dec. 15 last year, the Cardinals claimed a 92-59 victory in Louisville. Grayson Rose led the Norse in scoring with 16 points, while Coffey added a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.