HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball rides its three-game winning streak into Saturday, Feb. 2, when the Norse will face Horizon League foe UIC in a 2 p.m. contest. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
GAMEDAY PROMOS: Saturday will be NKU's celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Following the game, various Norse women's varsity programs will host a free all-sports clinic for youths 12 and under. Participants will rotate through stations with volleyball, women's soccer, softball, women's basketball and cheerleading for approximately a 35-minute clinic.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse stunned IUPUI in a 60-57 upset as four Norse scored in double digits for the second time this season.
Ally Niece led the charge with 16 points and a career-high six assists, while
Grayson Rose had a career night from long range as her four triples paved the way for 14 points for the sophomore forward.
Taylor Clos added 12 points and
Molly Glick poured in 10 points, including a pivotal pair of free throws to seal the victory with five seconds remaining. The Norse held the Jaguars to 18 points in the paint, nearly half of IUPUI's point total down low from the last meeting in December, and kept the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year, Macee Williams, to just two field goals.
STRONGER ON THE OTHER SIDE: NKU had its fair share of heartbreak during the nonconference portion of the schedule, going 0-5 in games that were decided by five points or fewer. However, the Norse used those contests as learning opportunities and have flipped the script in Horizon League matchups, holding a 2-0 record against league opponents in games that have gone down to the wire. The Norse posted a one-point victory over Milwaukee on Jan. 3, 55-54, before Thursday's 60-57 win over IUPUI.
SCOUTING UIC: The Flames have posted just one league win in 10 games, defeating Oakland in overtime on Jan. 11, and enter Saturday on a five-game losing skid. Brittany Byrd continues to pace the offense for UIC, averaging 13.2 points per game, but the Flames have suffered the loss of Taylor Toney to injury as the senior was contributing nearly 10 points per contest in the nonconference slate. Jada Nneji has become a force down low for the Flames, pulling down 9.1 rebounds per game while rejecting a remarkable 5.0 shots per contest in league action. As a team, UIC is averaging 45.7 points per game and surrenders 68.2 ppg against Horizon League opponents. The Flames' strongest statistic, aside from 4.4 blocks per game bolstered by Nneji's presence, is keeping teams to 28.8 percent from beyond the arc.
NKU holds a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Flames and have won all three home contests against UIC in that span. In the last outing, NKU opened up the league season with a 67-49 victory in Chicago on Dec. 28, with the Norse freshman class combining for 37 of NKU's points as all three scored in double digits.
NORSE IN THE RANKINGS: Since starting Horizon League play, the Norse have had several individuals climb into the top-10 of the standings in several statistical categories.
Kailey Coffey currently ranks second the league in rebounding at 9.3 boards per game and also ranks ninth with 2.9 assists per game at a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Ally Niece has upped her shooting percentages since entering league action and tops league opponents from the free throw line at 93.1 percent, and has also made her last 17 free throws dating back to Jan. 18 at Cleveland State. Niece is also efficient from long range, ranking fourth in 3-point field goal percentage at 42.9 percent. Also in the top-10 in the latter category is
Taylor Clos, who is connecting at a .377 clip from beyond the arc to rank 10th, and she ranks third in 3-pointers made with 2.3 triples sunk a game.
Molly Glick is not far off Clos, with 1.7 treys a game to rank ninth in league standings and is just outside the top-10 in percentage at 32.7 percent.
