MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - After its biggest win of the season on Wednesday against Cleveland State, Northern Kentucky University Women's Basketball faced another big matchup on Sunday afternoon, taking on Robert Morris. With the winner guaranteed sole possession of fourth place heading into the penultimate week of #HLWBB action, Sunday's matinee matchup lived up to the hype in a closely contested battle between the two squads. Despite several efforts to take the lead late, NKU never led in the second half as RMU closed things out to move into fourth in the league. 

THE FACTS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 59, Robert Morris – 63
LOCATION: UPMC Events Center - Moon Township, Pa. 
RECORDS: NKU: 10-17 (7-9 HL), RMU: 12-14 (8-9 HL)
 
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- Macey Blevins poured in 18 points, dominating in the paint in particular. Blevins was 8-10 from two on the day, adding three steals and two assists to her stat line. 
- Mya Meredith finished a rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds. She went 3-6 from deep and also had a pair of steals. Apart from Meredith, the Norse shot just 1-17 from three-point land.
- Halle Idowu finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. 
- Jaci Jones dished out six assists, scored four points, got three steals, and grabbed three rebounds.
- NKU's poor shooting day from deep ended up being the key reason for the loss. Their 17.4% in the game was their second-worst all season, and their four three-point makes marked just the fourth time NKU made four or fewer threes in a game. 

NORSE NOTES
- Things started out slow for both offenses, as the score was just 6-6 by the first media timeout. Blevins started working in the paint early with a pair of early layups. Eight of NKU's 15 first-quarter points came off turnovers or an offensive rebound. The Norse continued to work the paint in the second quarter, scoring all their points in the painted area except a Mya Meredith off-steal three midway through the period. A three-pointer right before the halftime break saw RMU take a three-point lead after 20 minutes. 
- The Colonials jumped out to their biggest lead of the game coming out of halftime, benefitting off Norse missed threes and making it a seven-point game. NKU continued to fight when Halle Idowu scored six straight for the Norse, then a three for Mya Meredith cut things to two. Blevins then went on a 4-0 scoring run to tie the game, just before a buzzer-beater from RMU saw them take back the lead right before the fourth period. 
- NKU kept fighting throughout the fourth, but missed threes really hampered the Norse's chances of a comeback victory. Four missed threes in four minutes resulted in a six-point Colonial lead with under two minutes to go. Idowu and Blevins then both came up with big plays to cut the deficit to two, but RMU got another shot down low to fall to extend their lead back to two possessions. Blevins quickly scored another layup after the Norse forced a 10-second violation from RMU, but Isys Grady knocked down the game-sealing free throws to clinch the big win for the Colonials. It marked just the second time in program history that the Norse lost to Robert Morris. 

NEXT UP
Northern Kentucky Women's Basketball is back home for their final two games in Truist Arena this week, taking on Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday before hosting Wright State on Saturday. 

FOLLOW NKU NORSE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
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