HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky women's basketball hits the road this weekend, making its first stop of its Northeast Ohio road trip at Cleveland State. Tip-off against the Vikings is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse won their fourth-straight contest with a 63-43 drubbing of preseason Horizon League favorite, Green Bay. The 20-point setback marked the worst regular-season conference loss for the Phoenix in 30 years. The Norse held Green Bay to 28.8 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc while NKU conversely had a stellar night from long range at 10-for-22 (45.5 percent). Additionally, NKU added to the offensive disruption by allowing the Phoenix to record just six assists while committing 16 turnovers for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.38. Green Bay entered the contest ranked 11th nationally with a 1.37 assist-to-turnover ratio. Offensively for the Norse, Molly Glick led with 12 points, while Grayson Rose and Emmy Souder each added 10.
 
TEAM ON A TEAR: The Norse enter the weekend riding a four-game winning streak, during which time NKU has jumped from sixth in the standings to a three-way tie for second. In all four of those wins, NKU kept its opponent to 60 points or fewer, on average allowing 50.0 ppg for a +16.2 scoring advantage. The Norse have also been dominating on the boards, 40.5-32.5, and have been shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from 3-point range. The team's stifling defense has made it difficult for opponents to run their offenses, as they are able to dish out just 6.3 assists per game. Conversely, NKU's offense is thriving with 12.3 assists per game, led by Ally Niece with 3.5 apg while Kailey Coffey has averaged 2.8 apg to go with her 8.8 rpg. Niece has also been leading three Norse averaging double-digit scoring figures in the span with 14.8 ppg. Glick adds 12.8 ppg while Garcia chips in 10.3. The latter duo has also combined for 15-of-32 triples 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 offense (65.2 ppg), scoring defense (58.3 ppg), scoring margin (+6.9), rebounding margin (+4.7), free-throw percentage (73.4 percent), 3-point percentage defense (28.2 percent), turnover margin (+1.64) and blocked shots per game (3.00). Individually, Rose paces the league with 1.5 blocks per game, while Niece tops the league in free-throw percentage (93.3 percent), while also ranking second in assists per game (4.0) and fifth with a 1.60 assist-to-turnover ratio. Kailey Coffey is fourth in rebounding with 8.3 rpg, and Glick's 1.5 triples per game rank ninth.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOMS: Ivy Turner has been making an immediate impact in her rookie campaign, starting in all 22 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 36.4 percent from the floor. Turner also averages 2.2 assists and 3.5 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 193 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 15 of NKU's 22 contests.
 
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: After recording their hottest start in program history with a 10-1 nonconference mark, the Vikings have cooled off a bit and enter Thursday's contest with a 6-5 league record. Three players are averaging double-digit scoring in league play, led by Mariah Miller's 15.0 ppg. Savanna Crockett adds 12.2 ppg and 9.1 rpg, while Mariah White averages 11.5 ppg, 2.5 apg and 2.5 spg. As a team, the Vikings rank in the middle of the Horizon League in most statistical categories, but are among the top of the league in defensive categories, leading the league in steals per game (8.91) while ranking second in blocks per game (3.64) and turnover margin (+1.73).
           
Cleveland State holds a 7-4 advantage in the all-time series. In the last meeting on Jan. 4, the Vikings came out on top of a hotly-contested 73-68 matchup. NKU's rebounding shone in the setback as the Norse held a 50-28 advantage on the boards and limited Cleveland State to just four offensive rebounds.