HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball hosts Oakland in the first of two home Horizon League contests this week. Tip-off against the Golden Grizzlies is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse led Wright State at the end of the third quarter, but the Raiders managed to close the gap and take the lead in the final stanza en route to a 63-55 win at BB&T Arena.
Ally Niece led the Norse with 16 points, five assists and three steals, while
Taylor Clos added 13 points and
Ivy Turner had 10 points.
NORSE VS THE HORIZON LEAGUE: Since entering Horizon League play, the Norse find themselves among the top of the league in several statistical categories. Individually, Niece leads the league in free-throw percentage and ranks second with 4.3 assists per game. The sophomore point guard is also third with a 1.67 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Grayson Rose ranks second with 1.9 blocked shots per game and is ninth in rebounding with 7.6 rpg.
Kailey Coffey also appears in that ranking, sitting at seventh with 8.00 boards per game. Clos is in the top-10 in both 3-pointers made, with 13 to rank fifth, and in scoring, with 12.3 ppg for ninth.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS: Ivy Turner has been making an immediate impact in her rookie campaign, starting in all 18 contests for the Norse. The Danville, Kentucky, native is third on the team in scoring with 8.6 points per game, and is doing so at 38.7 percent from the floor. Turner also averages 2.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. Turner was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week for the second time this season on Jan. 13 after averaging 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game against UIC and IUPUI. Earlier on Dec. 2, she earned her first weekly distinction after helping the Norse record three victories over Central Arkansas, Jacksonville State and FIU. Turner had double-digit scoring efforts in each game, 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..
Carissa Garcia was also 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 184 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 12 of NKU's 18 contests.
SCOUTING OAKLAND: The Golden Grizzlies hold an 8-10 record, including 3-4 in Horizon League play, and are coming off a pair of losses to Cleveland State and Youngstown State. Oakland averages 66.6 points per game and allows opponents to post 68.4 ppg. Jalisha Terry and Kalaijah Dean both contribute double digits in scoring at 12.1 ppg and 11.2 ppg, respectively. Chloe Guingrich paces the Golden Grizzlies on the boards with 8.1 rpg and also averages 9.8 ppg, shooting 55.0 percent from the field. Oakland's strongest team statistic is its free-throw percentage, as the Golden Grizzlies rank 23rd nationally at 76.1 percent from the charity stripe. Oakland is also in the top-100 nationally in assists per game (14.6) and 3-point field-goal defense (29.3 percent).
Oakland holds an 8-6 advantage in the all-time series with the Norse, but NKU has won five of the eight contests since transitioning to Division I. The Norse are currently on a three-game winning streak against the Golden Grizzlies, the most recent being a 74-63 road win on Feb. 28, 2019.
