The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team battled to the final minutes on Saturday, but saw its four-game win streak come to a close as the Norse fell to Wright State, 76-65, at BB&T Arena.
NKU dips to 14-9 overall and 6-6 in the Horizon League, while Wright State moves to 19-6 overall and 9-3 in the League.
Christine Roush issued a 7-of-11 performance from the field, including 6-of-9 showing from long range, as she poured in a team-best 22 points.
Courtney Roush followed with 16 points and a career-high seven rebounds while Rianna Gayheart dished out a season-high eight assists.
The NKU bench outscored the Wright State reserves, 32-7. The Raiders were paced by Kim Demmings with 28 points.
NKU and Wright State traded 5-0 runs to open the game before the Raiders would pull away with 11-straight points in the first period.
The NKU defense held Wright State to 1-of-8 shooting during a four-minute stretch in the second quarter as the offense chipped away at the deficit. Northern Kentucky came within seven points of WSU at 32-25 after a layup by Rebecca Lyttle with 4:02 left in the first half.
Six-straight Norse points ended the opening half with Wright State leading, 38-31. Six different Norse combined for NKU’s 14 points in the second quarter as they shot 46.2 percent.
Upon returning to the court, the Raiders’ lead grew to 43-31. A 7-2 Norse run brought NKU back within single digits at the 4:24 mark of the third quarter.
In the final frame, NKU held the Raiders to one field goal across the first five minutes. Back-to-back jumpers from Shar’Rae Davis cut the WSU lead to 62-54 with 5:31 remaining in the contest.
The Norse hung on to remain within single digits after a triple from Christine Roush brought NKU within eight with 1:21 to play. However, Wright State would ice the game on 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line across the final minute.
NKU continues its three-game home stand when it plays host to Detroit on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.
NORSE NOTES:
· With Gayheart’s contribution of eight assists, NKU posted 15 total on 25 field goals.
· The Norse have forced 15 or more turnovers in 20 of their 23 games this season, and have forced 100 errors in their last six games.
· Christine Roush eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season and second time against a Horizon League opponent.
· NKU entered the contest averaging 8.2 treys per game, ranking second among Horizon League squads, and drained nine against Wright State on Saturday.
NKU men fall in final seconds
The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team fell to UIC in the final seconds on Saturday, 79-77, at the UIC Pavilion.
UIC held a six-point advantage with one minute to play when a Cole Murray three and Drew McDonald layup made it a one-point game with 27 seconds to play. It was NKU’s ball with 11.8 seconds left but the Norse could not find the net on the final possession.
Tyler White poured in 21 points, coming four shy of his season high, after netting 17 points in the second half.
McDonald followed with 15 points and pulled down a team-best eight boards for the second-straight contest.
Murray rounded out the NKU players in double figures with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from three, while Todd Johnson posted a season-high five assists.
NKU opened the game on strong shooting that pushed the Norse advantage to 16-9 early.
UIC used a run to take a brief 26-21 lead, but the Norse responded by inducing a six-minute UIC scoring drought where NKU forced a trio of turnovers.
Eight-straight points keyed by a White jumper helped rebuild the NKU lead to 31-28 with three minutes left in the opening period.
The Flames managed just 2-of-15 shooting throughout the final eight minutes of the half as NKU held a 37-33 advantage at the intermission.
UIC quickly tied the game in the second period, but NKU used a pair of threes from
White and Murray to keep its distance and build an eight-point cushion at the 14:01 mark.
The midway point of the half found the teams locked in a 56-all tie before a pivotal run put UIC ahead 67-59 with just under seven minutes to play.
Five-straight points from the Norse brought them within three of the Flames heading into the game’s final possessions.
The Norse look to bounce back on Tuesday, Feb. 16 when they play host to Detroit at BB&T Arena for the final home game of the season. Northern Kentucky will honor six seniors – Jalen Billups, Jared Bryant, Jake Giesler, Johnson, White and Jack Flournoy – for their contributions in a pregame ceremony.
NORSE NOTES:
— Tyler White posted 20 or more points for the fifth time this season and third time against a Horizon League opponent.
— Six NKU players connected from long range on Saturday as NKU posted nine triples in the contest.
From NKU Athletics