The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team welcomes Kennesaw State to The Bank of Kentucky Center on Wednesday night on Senior Night in Atlantic Sun Conference action.
The Norse will honor their three seniors, Melody Doss, Kaitlyn Gerrety and Malika Glover, in a pregame ceremony before the scheduled tip at 7 p.m. A link to live stats is available at nku.statbroadcast.com, and the ESPN3 link is provided at NKUNorse.com. Fans can also track the game’s progress by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
NKU enters Wednesday night’s contest 15-12 overall and 6-6 in the Atlantic Sun after posting a 67-29 victory over North Florida in Regents Hall on Saturday. Eleven different Norse players got into the scorebook, led by Christine Roush’s 14 points and six rebounds. Kelley Wiegman added eight points, while Melody Doss, Courtney Roush and Kasey Uetrecht finished with seven points apiece.
The Owls are 16-11 overall and 5-7 in the Atlantic Sun after dropping a 70-58 decision to Stetson on Saturday. Kristina Wells scored 14 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead Kennesaw State, while Aareon Smith added 14 points and Jasmine McAllister contributed 12 points and eight rebounds. Katie Hunt rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points and six boards for the Owls.
Doss, Gerrety and Glover have helped lead the Norse to 69 victories and have been an integral part of NKU’s successful transition to the Division I level.
Doss, a forward from Greenwood, Indiana, has scored 1,079 points to currently sit 23rd on NKU’s all-time scorers list. She has pulled down 474 career rebounds, which is 33rd in school history, and she has blocked 84 shots, which is seventh-best at NKU. This season, Doss has recorded three double-doubles and leads the team with a 13.8 scoring average.
Gerrety, a senior center from Cincinnati, Ohio, has scored 458 points and pulled down 387 rebounds during her four-year career with the Norse, and she leads the team in several categories. She has pulled down 141 rebounds this season, including 38 offensive boards, and she has rejected 33 shots and collected 37 steals for NKU this season. She grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against Georgetown on Jan. 6 and dished out five assists against Jacksonville on Feb. 15.
Glover, a guard from East Lansing, Michigan, came to NKU after transferring from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Though she has been sidelined by injuries during her time as a Norse, she has helped make her impact through her involvement with both NKU and the Atlantic Sun’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
This season, Glover is currently serving as the Atlantic Sun’s SAAC chair after being named the committee’s secretary the year prior. She made her home debut for NKU on Saturday against North Florida as the Norse posted a 67-29 win over the Ospreys.
NKU set a two new NCAA Division I benchmarks in its 67-29 victory over North Florida on Saturday. The 38-point margin of victory is the team’s largest since beginning the transition, topping a 33-point (66-33) victory over Lipscomb on Jan. 12, 2013.
Similarly, the 29 points allowed is the lowest total allowed by the Norse as a Division I program, which also surpassed the 33 points NKU gave up against the Lady Bisons in its first season of D-I action. It is also the least number of points surrendered since the Norse held Salem International to 19 points in a 75-19 win on Nov. 19, 2011.
WEDNESDAY’S SCENARIO: NKU can secure a top-four spot in the upcoming Atlantic Sun tournament with a win and South Carolina Upstate loss on Wednesday night. The top four teams in the conference will host first-round tournament games, and the top advancing seeds will host the semifinal contests and championship game.
Florida Gulf Coast, which entered the weekly rankings at No. 21 in the Associated Press and No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches polls, has already secured the top spot in the tournament, boasting a 12-0 conference mark, while Stetson will enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed. NKU and Jacksonville are each 6-6 in the Atlantic Sun, while Kennesaw State and USC Upstate enter the final week of play at 5-7 in league play.
UP NEXT: NKU will conclude the 2014-15 regular season on Saturday with a trip to Spartanburg, South Carolina to face USC Upstate. The contest is slated for a 2 p.m. start time from Hodge Center. Links to live stats and the ESPN3 broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com.
Text and photo from NKU Athletics