HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball closes the weekend of competition on Saturday, Jan. 4, when the Norse host Cleveland State. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Saturday will also serve as NKU's Princess Day, which invites fans to attend the game dressed as their favorite princess or prince. Activities include a crown-making station, a halftime fashion show and a photo booth with Elsa and Ariel. NKU will also hold Shootaround Saturday following the contest.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse handily defeated Youngstown State on Thursday evening to move into a four-way tie for first in the Horizon League.
Emmy Souder dropped a career-high 19 points in the 75-56 victory, while
Kailey Coffey added 15 points and eight rebounds.
Ally Niece and
Taylor Clos also scored in double figures, with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Northern Kentucky is now 5-0 this season when four players reach double figures.
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 14 contests for the Norse. The Danville, Kentucky, native is third on the team in scoring with 8.2 points per game, and is doing so at 38.3 percent from the floor. Turner also averages 2.0 assists and 3.7 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.
Carissa Garcia has also been an integral part of NKU's offense, averaging 7.0 ppg. 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 180 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 11 of NKU's 14 contests.
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings got off to their hottest start in program history in the nonconference schedule, going 10-1 with their only loss being the season opener at Bowling Green. However, Cleveland State had an 11-game winning streak snapped in the second contest of league play with a 25-point loss to IUPUI and also suffered a 78-62 setback at Wright State last night. As a team, Cleveland State ranks 17th nationally with 11.9 steals per game and has been able to play clean defense, ranking 34th nationally with just 14.4 personal fouls per game. The Vikings' defense has also done well protecting the rim, ranking 73rd nationally and topping the league with 4.3 blocked shots per game. Offensively, Cleveland State has a +12.1 scoring margin, averaging 71.6 points per game while allowing opponents to average 59.5 ppg. However, those numbers have dropped significantly since the start of league play. Through three Horizon League contests, Cleveland State is averaging 66.3 ppg and surrendering 66.6 ppg, the latter of which is aided by an 84-44 victory over UIC. The Vikings have still maintained their defensive prowess, leading the league with 4.00 blocked shots per game and ranking second with 10.7 steals per game.
Mariah Miller leads Cleveland State with 19.4 points per game to rank 21st nationally, while Mariah White chips in 14.9 ppg and ranks fourth nationally with 3.86 steals per game. Savanna Crockett is also averaging double digits at 10.2 ppg and leads the Vikings with 8.0 rebounds per game.
Cleveland State holds a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series, with each team winning on its home court last season. In the most recent meeting on Feb. 24, the Norse handed the Vikings a decisive 74-55 loss, ending the home season with six-straight wins.
