Homecoming week at Northern Kentucky University will close Saturday with the men’s basketball team playing host to Milwaukee in Horizon League men’s basketball action. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (8-14 Overall, 4-7 Horizon League)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers (15-8 Overall, 6-4 Horizon League)
Saturday, Feb. 6 – 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 plays host to Milwaukee as the University wraps up Homecoming Week.
• Despite putting four players in double-digits, NKU fell to Green Bay, 85-78.
• NKU outrebounded Green Bay, 37-33, marking the 10th time in the last 17 games the Norse outrebounded their foe.
• NKU is third in Horizon League-only games in assists (15.4 apg), with G Lavone Holland II (4.5 apg) ranking third, individually.
• F Jalen Billups notched his third double-double of the year with 18 points and 12 boards against Green Bay.
• Billups and G Tyler White are climbing NKU’s all-time scoring list. Billups ranks 20th w/ 1,116 points & White is No. 25 (999).
• Billups led the nation w/ 69.6% shooting last year, and is among the nation’s leaders (t-12th) at 63.8% (118-185) this year.
• Billups ranks among NKU’s all-time leaders in FG % (2nd, .635), blocks (5th, 123) & blocks per game (11th, 1.1).
• Billups’ career 63.5 percent shooting ranks t-22nd all-time in the NCAA.
• 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 47.9% (56-of-117) from behind the arc this year, No. 8 in the nation.
• In the last five games, Murray has made 67.9 percent (19-of-28) of his threes.
• F Drew McDonald is a two-time #HLMBB Freshman of the Week recipient and is averaging 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in league games.
• White needs just one point to join the 1,000-point club. He’s averaging a career-best 11.2 points per game.
• White has 173-career threes, ranking ninth all-time at NKU.
• Holland is second on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) and third in rebounds (5.3 rpg), but leads NKU in assists (4.3 apg).
Promotions
• 3’x5’ NKU flags for the first 1,000 fans
• King and Queen Crowning at halftime
• #4for40 – four tickets, four hotdogs and four sodas for $40
• Shoot Around Saturday
Norse women travel to Valpo for Horizon League match
The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team concludes its string of four consecutive road games on Saturday afternoon, when the Norse take on Valparaiso in a Horizon League matinee.
Tipoff from the Athletics-Recreation Center is set for 1:30 p.m. Central (2:30 p.m. Eastern), with the action carried live on ESPN3.
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (13-8 overall, 5-5 Horizon)
Valparaiso University Crusaders (8-13 overall, 4-6 Horizon)
Feb. 6 – 1:30 p.m. Central (2:30 p.m. Eastern)
Athletics-Recreation Center “The ARC” (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.
TV: ESPN3 // Parker Gatewood (play-by-play), Renee’ Turpa and Tommy Mantice (analysts)
Series History: Valparaiso leads, 1-0
Last Time Out – Molly Glick scored a career-high 15 points to help NKU claim a 72-61 victory over UIC on Thursday night. Christine Roush led the way with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and Kasey Uetrecht added 16 points and a team-best six rebounds. The Norse combined for 18 assists on their 24 made baskets on the night, led by Rianna Gayheart with four. The Norse shot 48 percent from the field and drained 17 of their 18 free-throw attempts.
About Valparaiso – The Crusaders enter Saturday’s game with an 8-13 overall record and a 4-6 mark in Horizon League play after dropping a 65-54 decision to Wright State on Thursday, marking their second-straight defeat.
Jasmyn Walker leads the Crusaders’ offense from the frontcourt, averaging 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, while freshman Meredity Hamlet paces the outside game, averaging 10.3 points with 41 made threes on the year.
The Series – Valparaiso skated away with a 61-60 win in the teams’ first ever meeting on Dec. 30 this season after a contentious final series.Rebecca Lyttle finished one point of a career-high with 22 points along with seven rebounds while Christine Roush added 15 poitns, seven rebounds and four assists.
Meredith Hamlet’s 29 points for Valpo in the win stand as a career high for the freshman to this day, as the Crusader guard connected on 10-of-11 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 from long range.
More swiping – The Norse defense has made a living on clogging up passing lanes and creating turnovers for opposing offenses. Through the current three-game winning streak, the Norse have averaged almost nine steals per game. The defensive intensity is a team effort, as the Norse picked off seven passes in Thursday’s win over UIC, with seven different players each accounting for a steal in the game.
Fast Break Points
• The Norse are winners of their last three games, the longest active winning streak in the Horizon League.
• NKU has averaged 74.3 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 19 of their 21 games this season, and have forced 78 errors in their last five games.
• The Norse rank third in the League in FG shooting (42.8%) and lead the League in 3-point (37.1%) and FT shooting (78.6%).
• NKU’s 78.6 percent free-throw accuracy ranks fifth among all Division I programs.
• The Norse hit 17-of-18 (94.9%) free throws against UIC, marking the third time this year NKU has shot over 90 percent from the line.
• The Norse are knocking down 8.2 treys per game, ranking second among Horizon League squads.
• F Molly Glick scored a career-high 15 points in NKU’s win over UIC on Thursday night.
• F Kasey Uetrecht led the Norse in rebounding for the eighth time this season on Thursday with six boards against UIC.
• 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 7.8 points in 12.3 minutes per game, and her 59 percent shooting from the field ranks second in the Horizon League.
• 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 41 treys this year and is three away from making her second appearance on NKU’s all-time single-season list.
• Christine Roush ranks sixth in the Horizon League in scoring at 15.5 points per game and third in made threes (2.4 per game).
• G Rianna Gayheart’s 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks second in the Horizon League.
From NKU Athletics