HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky women's basketball team dominated in a Thursday night showdown against UIC with a 78-35 win at BB&T Arena. The win pushes the Norse to 15-10 on the year and 9-5 in Horizon League play. UIC is now 3-23 on the year and 2-13 in conference play. With this win and a Wright State loss, NKU and Wright State are tied for second place in Horizon League standings.
STATS LEADERS
- Freshman Carissa Garcia led the Norse with 20 points on the night. She shot 7-for-14 (50 percent) from the floor and a strong 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) clip from three-point land. She also nabbed three steals.
- Ally Niece had 13 points, five rebounds, and six assists, going 5-of-11 (60 percent) on the night.
- Ivy Turner was the third Norse in double figures, picking up 12 points to go along with three steals.
- Kailey Coffey was effective on the boards, pulling down 13 while scoring seven points and dishing out four assists.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
- Coffey collected a pass in the post from Niece for a wide open bank shot to open up scoring for all.
- The Norse answered a seven-point run from the Flames with a 14-2 run of their own, beginning with a jumper from Tayah Irvin with 4:08 left in the first quarter. The Norse then regained the lead with two free throws and a layup from Garcia within the next two minutes.
- NKU carried its momentum into the second quarter, extending its lead to 31-16, allowing just five points from the Flames in five minutes of action while scoring 13.
- Janna Lewis came in hot for the Norse, taking on her defender and laying it in for two, followed by a make from beyond the arc.
- NKU outscored UIC 26-10 in the second quarter, going an impressive 9-of-18 (50 percent) from the floor and 5-of-11(45.5 percent) from 3-point range while also making all of its free throw attempts.
- The Norse went into the break with a 44-21 advantage over UIC. NKU forced 13 turnovers and benefited from 14 second-chance points.
- NKU assisted on 10 of its 15 made field goals, led by four from Niece. The Norse also swiped six steals and forced UIC into an additional seven turnovers in the half.
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
- Niece found Glick, who spun her defender near the rim and laid it in two minutes into the half.
- Scoring went back and forth for most of the third quarter, with several players scoring and seven Norse putting up points of their own.
- NKU cushioned its lead with an impressive 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the field and 3-of-6 (50 percent) from beyond the arc in the third quarter, heading into the fourth with a 32-point advantage.
- The Norse defense was ruthless in the fourth quarter, forcing 10 turnovers and allowing the Flames to go just 1-of-9 (11.1 percent) on shooting and scoring only four points.
GAME NOTES
- The Norse are undefeated (6-0) on the year when they score 71 or more points. Additionally, NKU has kept nine league opponents to 60 points or fewer and are undefeated when keeping teams under that mark. NKU is also now 2-0 when their opponent scores fewer than 40 points.
- NKU shut down UIC's leading scorer, Jada Nneji, holding her to just four points, all of which were scored in the fourth quarter. Nneji averages 12.2 ppg, shooting 45.8 percent from the field.
- Garcia surpassed her scoring record with 20 points on the night, previously having scored 18 against EKU on November 6. Janna Lewis also had a career-high scoring performance with seven, passing her former four.
- This is the eighth game of the year where Coffey pulled in double-digit rebounds and was just one rebound short of tying her season high on rebounds at 14.
- The Norse recorded not only their largest margin of victory of this year, finishing the night with a 43-point advantage, but posted their largest scoring margin ever against a Division I opponent. The last time NKU beat any opponent by more than 40 points was also against UIC with an 88-46 victory on Jan. 11. They also tied the most 3-pointers made in a game this year, matched with when they sank 10 against Green Bay.
UP NEXT
NKU returns home for its final game in BB&T Arena on Saturday, February 15, taking on IUPUI. The game will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN3. Prior to tip-off, the Norse will honor lone senior Glick for her Senior Day ceremony. At halftime, NKU will also honor the 20th anniversary of Northern Kentucky's 2000 NCAA Division II National Championship.
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