Northern Kentucky University seniors Christine and Courtney Roush combined for 48 points as NKU got back to their winning ways with an 83-51 victory over Cleveland State in Horizon League action from the Wolstein Center.
Christine Roush scored a team-high 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, while Courtney Roush followed with a career-high 22 points, going 9-for-13 from the field.
As a team, the Norse shot 45.5 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from long range, knocking down 11 treys.
Kelley Wiegman added an 11-point effort while Kasey Uetrecht chimed in with 10 points. Rebecca Lyttle led the rebounding effort with seven boards to go with a career-high five assists. The Roush twins added six boards each as the Norse won the rebounding battle, 45-33.
The win improved NKU’s record to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in Horizon League action.
The Vikings opened up on fire, knocking down their first three shots of the game. However, the Norse defense closed down, holding CSU to three makes over their next 10 attempts. The Norse saw a surge at the end of the quarter, knocking down two of their last three shots to cut CSU’s lead to 20-14 after 10 minutes.
The Norse came out on fire in the second quarter, knocking down their first five tries from the field to spark a 13-1 run and take a 27-21 lead with six minutes remaining. The Norse closed out the second quarter with 22 points, 20 coming off the hands of Christine and Courtney Roush, to take a 36-28 lead into the halftime break.
The Roush sisters continued their offensive domination in the third, combining for four triples and another 20 points as the Norse shot 7-of-14 from the field and equaled their season high with 30 in the period to extend the lead to 66-39. It was academic from there as the Norse cruised to a 32-point margin of victory.
Ashanti Abshaw scored 13 points and added eight rebounds to pace Cleveland State as the Vikings fell to 4-14 overall and 1-7 in Horizon League play.
NKU will look to roll its momentum on to Youngstown State, as the Norse and Penguins will square off on Saturday in the second of four consecutive road tilts for the Norse. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the action carried live on ESPN3.
NORSE NOTES
· NKU’s 45.5 percent shooting accuracy set a high-water mark for the Norse in Horizon League play.
· The Norse forced 20 CSU turnovers, scoring 21 points on the opportunities. Seven different Norse recorded at least one steal.
· Tonight marks the fifth time that Courtney Roush scored in double-figures this season. Roush is now averaging 6.9 points per game.
From NKU Athletics