HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball caps off its weekend of competition on Saturday, Jan. 25, when the Norse host Detroit Mercy for a 2 p.m. tip-off. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3. Following the game, NKU will host an all-sports clinic, which is free to anyone age 12 and under.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse started the week out on a high note, defeating Oakland, 69-60.
Ally Niece had a standout performance with a career-high-tying 22 points to go with five assists, while
Molly Glick was just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Taylor Clos and
Carissa Garcia added nine points, while
Ivy Turner had eight and
Emmy Souder chipped in seven in the balanced scoring effort.
NORSE VS THE HORIZON LEAGUE: Since entering Horizon League play, the Norse find themselves among the top of the league in several statistical categories, ranking in the top-four in rebounding margin (+4.00), free-throw percentage (75.9 percent), turnover margin (+1.00) and blocked shots per game (3.00). Individually, Niece leads the league in free-throw percentage and ranks second with 4.4 assists per game. The sophomore point guard is also third with a 1.84 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Grayson Rose ranks second with 1.8 blocked shots per game and
Kailey Coffey is ninth in rebounding with 7.7 rpg. Clos is in the top-10 in both 3-pointers made, with 14 to rank sixth, and in scoring, with 11.8 ppg for ninth.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS: Ivy Turner has been making an immediate impact in her rookie campaign, starting in all 19 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 38.1 percent from the floor. Turner also averages 2.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. She 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 186 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 13 of NKU's 19 contests.
SCOUTING DETROIT MERCY: The Titans hold a 2-17 record, with their lone wins coming against UIC and Cleveland State. Detroit Mercy is coming off a setback to Wright State, but contested the Raiders closely in a 67-61 decision. The Titans sit in the bottom third of the Horizon League in nearly every statistic except steals per game, in which UDM ranks sixth with 6.9 swipes per contest in league play. Detroit Mercy averages 58.2 ppg on the season and allows opponents to score 75.2 ppg. Rookie guard Sylare Starks is the only Titan averaging double figures on the year at 10.2 ppg. Senior Zoey Oates leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game and is also the squad's top defender with 34 steals and 10 blocks on the year.
Northern Kentucky holds a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series with the Titans, which dates back to the 2015-16 campaign when the Norse joined the Horizon League. NKU has won the last five contests, most recently taking down Detroit Mercy on the road on March 2, 2019, 81-63.
