Green Bay visits BB&T Arena for a clash with the Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team on Thursday night. The contest is the middle of a three-game home stretch for the Norse.
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (8-13 Overall, 4-6 Horizon League)
Green Bay Phoenix (13-9 Overall, 5-4 Horizon League)
Thursday, Feb. 4 – 7 p.m. (ET)
BB&T Arena (9,400) in Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: ESPN3 with Brady Laber (Play-by-Play) and Brad Redford (Analysis)
Radio: FOXSports 1360 (1360 AM) with Jim Kelch (Play-by-Play) and Steve Moeller (Analysis)
Fast Break Points
• NKU hosts Green Bay Thursday after falling to Oakland, 85-74, on Monday.
• NKU has won four of its last seven games and currently sits sixth in the #HLMBB standings.
• NKU shot 51 percent for the game against Oakland and finished with 18 assists on 26 made baskets.
• NKU is third in Horizon League-only games in assists (15.2 apg), with G Lavone Holland II (4.2 apg) ranking tied-fifth, individually.
• G Cole Murray was tabbed #HLMBB Player of the Week after going 7-for-10 from deep en route to 25 points in NKU’s win at Detroit.
• Murray has had the hot hand from long range, shooting 48.2% (53-of-110) from behind the arc this year.
• In the last four games, Murray has made 76.2 percent (16-of-21) of his threes.
• On Jan. 18, F Drew McDonald was named #HLMBB Freshman of the Week for the second time in a three-week window.
• McDonald registered a career-high 23 points to go with eight boards in NKU’s last outing against Oakland.
• In Horizon League action, McDonald is averaging 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
• F Jalen Billups and G Tyler White are climbing NKU’s all-time scoring list. Billups ranks 22nd w/ 1,098 points & White is No. 27 (988).
• Billups led the nation w/ 69.6% shooting last year, and is among the nation’s leaders (t-12th) at 63.4% (111-175) this year.
• Billups ranks among NKU’s all-time leaders in FG % (2nd, .634), blocks (5th, 122) & blocks per game (11th, 1.1).
• Billups’ career 63.4 percent shooting ranks t-24th all-time in the NCAA.
• Billups is averaging an impressive 1.59 points per field-goal attempt.
• White has 173-career threes, ranking 9th all-time at NKU.
• Holland is second on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and third in rebounds (5.3 rpg), but leads NKU in assists (4.1 apg).
NKU women play third straight road game, meet UIC
The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team will play its third-straight road game on Thursday, taking on UIC to begin the second half of the Horizon League schedule. Tipoff from UIC Pavilion is set for 8 p.m, with the action carried live on ESPN3.
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (12-8, 4-5 Horizon)
UIC Flames (11-9, 2-7 Horizon)
Feb. 4 – 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET)
UIC Pavilion (8,000) – Chicago, Ill.
TV: ESPN3 // Joe Brand (play-by-play)
Series History: NKU leads, 1-0
Last Time Out – Courtney Roush had 20 points and led five Norse in double figures as NKU defeated Youngstown State, 88-77, on Saturday afternoon. Roush went 6-for-9 from the field and drained all seven of her free-throw attempts as NKU shot 58 percent from the field and 50 percent from long-range in the game.
Shar’Rae Davis added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in her first game back at Youngstown State since transferring to NKU in 2013. Kasey Uetrecht added 14 points and four assists, Christine Roush had 13 points and Sarah Kinch was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards and 11 points.
About UIC – The Flames are 11-9 overall and 2-7 in Horizon League play, stopping a seven-game skid with back-to-back wins over Cleveland State and Valparaiso. Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year continues to dominate on the floor, averaging 17.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. Kendyl Nunn is also averaging double figures with 12.8 points per game.
As a team, the Flames are shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 24.4 percent from the arc.
The Series – NKU claimed victory in the only previous meeting between the teams as Kasey Uetrecht notched a pair of threes, including the game-winning shot with 5.8 seconds remaining, to take a 55-53 win on New Year’s Day at BB&T Arena. Uetrecht led the way with 14 points, while Christine Roush added 11 points. Ruvanna Campbell posted a double-double to lead UIC, going for 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Twins Double Up – Seniors Courtney and Christine Roush picked up high honors for their stellar play, as Courtney Roush was named the Horizon League Player of the Week and Christine Roush earned the College Sports Madness Horizon League Player of the Week after road wins over Cleveland State and Youngstown State.
Courtney Roush scored a career-high 22 points and tied a career-best with six rebounds against Cleveland State on Thursday, and followed up with a 20-point performance against Youngstown State. She is just the second player this season to post back-to-back 20-point games, as Rebecca Lyttle equaled the feat in games against Akron and Valparaiso.
Christine Roush led the Norse with 26 points against Cleveland State in just three quarters of play, going 9-for-15 from the field and 4-for-8 from long range. Christine Roush came back for a 13-pointi effort in the win over Youngstown State.
NKU now has three total weekly honors this season, as Molly Glick was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week earlier this season.
Fast Break Points
• NKU will play the third of four consecutive road games in Horizon League play when they take on Youngstown State on Saturday.
• The Norse are coming off their most prolific offensive weekend of the season, scoring 171 points across two games.
• NKU has averaged 74.4 points per game this season to rank third among Horizon League squads.
• NKU’s overall turnover margin of +3.7 ranks second in the Horizon League and 38th in the nation.
• The Norse have forced 15 or more turnovers in 18 of their 20 games this season, and have forced 77 errors in their last five games.
• The Norse rank third in the League in FG shooting (42.6%) and lead the League in 3-point (37.2%) and FT shooting (77.9%).
• NKU’s 77.9 percent free-throw accuracy ranks fifth among all Division I programs.
• NKU’s 30 points in the first quarter at Youngstown State matched a season high and was the second-straight game NKU scored 30 in a quarter.
• NKU’s bench is averaging 28.3 points per game and has scored 30 or more points in four of its last five games.
• F Courtney Roush was named Horizon League Player of the Week after averaging 21 points off the bench across two games.
• Courtney Roush is averaing 7.7 points in 11.7 minutes per game, and is the second Norse to go for 20 in back-to-back games this season.
• G Christine Roush also earned College Sports Madness’s Horizon League Player of the Week honor, averaging 19.5 points on the week.
• Christine Roush has drained 39 treys this year and is five away from making her second appearance on NKU’s all-time single-season list.
• G Shar’Rae Davis scored a season-high 16 points against Youngstown State on Saturday in her return to the Beeghly Center.
• G Sarah Kinch came one rebound short of a double-double with a career-high nine boards against Youngstown State.
• G Rianna Gayheart’s 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth in the Horizon League.
From NKU Athletics