HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball ends its five-game homestand on Saturday, Feb. 1, when the Norse host Green Bay. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be carried on ESPN3. Saturday will also serve as NKU's annual Box Out Cancer game, which encourages fans to wear pink to support the fight against breast cancer.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse outscored Milwaukee 36-15 in the second half en route to a 24-point victory over the Panthers. Milwaukee's 37 points marked the first time the Norse have kept an opponent under 40 points this season, and the third-straight game in which NKU has kept an opponent to 60 points or fewer.
Ally Niece led the offensive charge with 17 points, while
Molly Glick chipped in 13 and
Carissa Garcia added 12.
Kailey Coffey posted a double-digit effort on the boards with 10 rebounds.
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 scoring defense (59.8 ppg), scoring margin (+5.6), rebounding margin (+4.1), free-throw percentage (72.2 percent), turnover margin (+1.90), steals (7.11) and blocked shots per game (3.30). Individually,
Grayson Rose paces the league with 1.7 blocks per game, while Niece ranks second in both assists per game (4.1) and free-throw percentage (.929), also sitting at fourth with a 1.80 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Kailey Coffey is seventh in rebounding with 8.3 rpg, and
Taylor Clos has made 15 3-pointers to rank ninth.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS: Ivy Turner has been making an immediate impact in her rookie campaign, starting in all 21 contests for the Norse. The Danville, Kentucky, native is third on the team in scoring with 8.4 points per game, and is doing so at 36.7 percent from the floor. Turner also averages 2.1 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..
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 189 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 14 of NKU's 21 contests.
SCOUTING GREEN BAY: The Phoenix come to BB&T Arena holding a 12-0 record and used a 68-59 win at Wright State to move into a two-way tie with the Raiders for second in the league standings. Green Bay has won its last four games, with the win at Wright State marking head coach Kevin Borseth's 500th career win. Frankie Wurtz leads Green Bay's offense with 15.5 points per game, also adding 5.4 assists and 2.0 assists per outing. Caitlyn Hibner and Hailey Oskey join Wurtz in double-digit scoring at 11.2 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. Since entering league play, the Phoenix rank second with a +9.5 scoring margin, posting 66.4 points and keeping opponents to 56.9 points per game. Green Bay is also third with a +5.4 rebounding margin and second with a 1.49 assist-to-turnover ratio. On the season, Green Bay is one of the best teams in the nation in protecting the ball, ranking seventh with 11.7 turnovers per game and 11th with a 1.37 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Green Bay holds a 10-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Norse, which dates back to NKU's joining the Horizon League in the 2015-16 campaign. NKU's lone win over Green Bay came on Dec. 30, 2017, when the Norse stunned the then-No. 19/20 Phoenix at BB&T Arena, 62-54.
