HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball hosts Horizon League-leading IUPUI on Saturday afternoon for the final home game of the regular season. Tip-off against the Jaguars is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
GAME DAY PROMOTIONS: Prior to tip-off, Northern Kentucky will honor the career of lone senior
Molly Glick. At halftime, the Norse will also pay tribute to the 20th anniversary of the 2000 NCAA Division II National Championship team. Additionally, Saturday will be #GirlDad Day, which provides one free youth ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse posted their highest-ever margin of victory over a Division I opponent with a 78-35 victory against UIC.
Carissa Garcia led NKU with a career-high 20 points, including a 4-for-7 performance from beyond the arc.
Ally Niece and
Ivy Turner also reached double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while
Kailey Coffey dominated the boards with 13 rebounds. NKU forced UIC into 30 turnovers, marking a season best for the Norse.
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 (56.9 ppg), scoring margin (+8.5), rebounding margin (+5.9), turnover margin (+1.71), free-throw percentage (73.3 percent) and blocked shots per game (3.3). Individually,
Grayson Rose ranks second in the league with 1.6 blocks per game, while Coffey is third in rebounding at 8.8 rpg. Niece ranks fourth in assists per game (3.6) and seventh with a 1.42 assist-to-turnover ratio, and Glick's 1.6 triples per game rank ninth.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS: Turner has been making an immediate impact in her rookie campaign, starting in all 25 contests for the Norse. The Danville, Kentucky, native is third on the team in scoring with 8.6 points per game, and is the most utilized player on the team at 30.6 mpg. Turner also averages 2.2 assists and 3.4 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 199 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 16 of NKU's 25 contests. The redshirt-senior has started in all but two games in her collegiate career, good for third all-time (116).
SCOUTING IUPUI: The Jaguars enter Saturday's contest riding a 13-game winning streak, with their only league loss being a two-point setback against Youngstown State in the league opener. IUPUI is led by the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, Macee Williams, who has been averaging 19.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in league action, converting 65.1 percent of her shots from the field. Complementing Williams is senior Holly Hoopingarner, who leads the league with 4.7 assists per game. As a team, the Jaguars lead the league in both scoring offense (78.6 ppg) and scoring defense (55.0 ppg), making for an impressive +21.8 scoring margin. IUPUI also leads the Horizon League in several other statistical categories, including rebounding margin (+9.9), field-goal percentage (48.1 percent), 3-point field-goal percentage (37.9 percent), assists per game (18.5) and turnover margin (+3.4).
Northern Kentucky holds a 19-6 advantage in the all-time series with IUPUI, but the Jaguars have gone 6-2 against the Norse since the transition to Division I.
