GREEN BAY, Wis. – Northern Kentucky University Norse women's basketball faced off against perennial Horizon League power Green Bay on Saturday afternoon, entering the Kress Center with a daunting task, taking down the Phoenix on their home court. The Norse fell behind early, but stormed ahead in the second quarter thanks to a 12-0 run, and led by three at the break. As the two squads went back and forth in the third period, the Norse put together a 17-2 run in the second half and led by as much as 20 as they cruised to a 77-59 victory. 

THE FACTS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 77, Green Bay – 59
LOCATION: Kress Center – Green Bay, Wis.
RECORDS: NKU: 13-14 (10-6 HL), GB: 20-7 (15-2 HL)
 
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- NKU shot 43.8% from the field, 29.0% from three, and 12-14 from the free throw line. They limited Green Bay to just 36.7% from the field, while allowing them to shoot 35% from three. The Phoenix shot 8-12 on free throw attempts. 
- The Norse recorded just seven turnovers while forcing 11 from Green Bay. 
- Northern Kentucky outrebounded the Phoenix 42-33, limiting the Phoenix to just five offensive boards.
- Taysha Rushton led NKU with 21 points, shooting 8-17 from the field and 3-4 from the line. She grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists, while also recording a team-high two steals. 
- Karina Bystry ripped off her ninth-straight game of 15 or more points, scoring 16 while grabbing seven rebounds. She went 7-7 from the foul line on the day. 
- Mya Meredith had eleven points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal, while shooting 5-9 from the field.
- Maddie Moody and Abby Wolterman both finished with eight points and six rebounds. 

GAME NOTES
- NKU's margin of victory of 18 points marked the most by any Horizon League opponent in the Kress Center in the team's 30-plus year history in the conference. The previous high watermark was a 17-point win achieved by Milwaukee in the 1997-98 campaign. 
- It marked Green Bay's largest loss in the Kress Center since dropping a WNIT contest to Bowling Green in 2023, as they also lost by 18.
- Green Bay entered Saturday's contest with a remarkable 180-16 record in conference games at the Kress Center. 
- Since NKU last beat Green Bay on November 18, 2021, the Phoenix had only lost two Horizon League games at home, on Jan 20, 2023 to Youngstown State and on Mar 2, 2024 to Milwaukee.
- The win marked NKU's fourth-ever against the Phoenix in 24 tries, and its second-ever at the Kress Center. 

NEXT UP
- Northern Kentucky is back home on Thursday with a matchup against the Horizon League's second-place squad, Youngstown State. 

FOLLOW NKU NORSE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA Division I women's college basketball team through @NKUNorseWBB on Twitter, @NKUNorseWBB on Instagram, nkunorsewbb on Facebook and subscribe to the NKU Norse YouTube channel.