A pair of road games are all that remains in the Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team’s inaugural Horizon League season. The first of those contests comes against Cleveland State on Thursday night in Cleveland, Ohio.
The matchup is part of a double-header for the Vikings in which the women play UIC at 5:30 p.m. and the men’s game is scheduled for 7:30, but will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women’s contest.
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (9-18 Overall, 5-11 Horizon League)
Cleveland State University Vikings (8-21 Overall, 3-13 Horizon League)
Thursday, Feb. 25 – 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Wolstein Center (13,610) in Cleveland, Ohio
TV: TWC SportsChannel*/ESPN3** with Al Pawlowski (Play-by-Play) and Pat Vuyancih (Analysis)
Radio: FOXSports 1360 (1360 AM) with Jim Kelch (Play-by-Play) and Steve Moeller (Analysis)
Time Warner SportsChannel is available locally on channels 510/511 (HD) in Northern Kentucky and 311/1311 (HD) in Southwest Ohio.
Fast Break Points
• NKU rallied late for a third-straight game, but fell short, 67-64, at Wright State.
• NKU faces Cleveland State and Youngstown State on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, with #HLMBB seeding on the line.
• NKU is tied with Youngstown in seventh, but currently holds the tie-break by virtue of its win over YSU earlier this season.
• NKU dropped its first decision with CSU, 70-65, but defeated YSU, 84-64, for its first-ever #HLMBB win.
• NKU has three wins over teams in the RPI top-200 this year, the most in a season since beginning the reclassification process.
• F Jalen Billups led the nation w/ 69.6% shooting last year, and is shooting 59.7% (132-221) this year.
• Billups ranks among NKU’s all-time leaders in FG % (2nd, .624), blocks (4th, 127) & blocks per game (11th, 1.1).
• Billups’ career 62.4 percent shooting sits just outside the top-25 all-time in the NCAA.
• Billups and G Tyler White are climbing NKU’s all-time scoring list. Billups ranks 20th w/ 1,155 points & White is No. 24 (1,071).
• White is averaging career-highs in scoring (11.8) and assists (3.6).
• G Cole Murray has made 55.7 percent (34-of-61) of his threes in the last ten games.
• Murray has had the hot hand from long range, shooting 47.3% (71-of-150) from behind the arc this year, No. 5 in the nation.
• F Drew McDonald is a two-time #HLMBB Freshman of the Week recipient and is averaging 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in league games.
• McDonald registered his fourth double-double of the year and second against Detroit with 13 points, 11 rebounds versus the Titans.
• G Lavone Holland II is third on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg) and rebounds (4.9 rpg), but leads NKU in assists (4.0 apg).
• G Dean Danos is shooting 53.8 percent (21-39) from three-point land this season.
Norse women headed to Milwaukee
The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team embarks on its final road trip of the 2015-16 regular season, taking on Milwaukee in a Horizon League showdown on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. Eastern with the action carried live on ESPN3.
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (16-9, 8-6 Horizon)
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Panthers (15-10, 9-5 Horizon)
Feb. 25 – 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central)
Klotsche Center (3,500) – Milwaukee, Wis.
TV: ESPN3 // Scott Warras (play-by-play)
Series History: Milwaukee leads, 1-0
Last Time Out – The Roush twins came through again, combining for half of NKU’s points in an 80-64 win over Oakland on Sunday afternoon. Christine Roush led the way with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-7 from long range, and Courtney Roush followed up by knocking down seven of her 11 shots for 16 points. Four other Norse each had eight points on the game as well. Taylor Jones came off the bench to lead Oakland with 13 points.
About Milwaukee – The Panthers stand a game up on NKU in the Horizon League standings at 9-5, good for third place, after winning back-to-back games against UIC and Valparaiso last weekend. Steph Kostowicz is the reigning Horizon League Player of the Week, averaging 13.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, one of four Panthers averaging double-digits on the season.
Milwaukee’s offense has cooled down a bit in the second month of Horizon League play. After blistering through a 4-1 stretch averaging 81.2 points per game to close out January, the Panthers have averaged just 59.8 points in five games in February.
The Series – Steph Kostowicz scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Milwaukee to an 86-60 victory over NKU on Jan. 23 in the only previous meeting between the teams. NKU was held to just 28.6 percent shooting, their lowest mark this season. Kelley Wiegman led the Norse scoring effort with 12 points and Chrisitine Roush added 10 points as well.
Milwaukee had four players in double figures, as Sierra Ford-Washington chipped in 21 points as well.
Fast Break Points
• The Norse have won six of their last seven games, including four-straight road contests.
• NKU has averaged 74.2 points per game this season to rank third among Horizon League squads.
• NKU’s overall turnover margin of +3.8 ranks second in the Horizon League and 37th in the nation.
• The Norse have forced 15 or more turnovers in 22 of their 25 games this season, and have forced 85 errors in their last five games.
• The Norse rank second in the League in FG shooting (42.9%) and lead the League in 3-point (36.2%) and FT shooting (78.7%).
• NKU’s 78.7 percent free-throw accuracy ranks third among all Division I programs.
• The Norse have scored 80 points or more in back-to-back games and in four of their 14 Horizon League games.
• The Norse are knocking down 8.2 treys per game, ranking second among Horizon League squads.
Norse Points
• G Christine Roush and F Courtney Roush combined to score 40 of NKU’s 80 points on Sunday, and 93 of NKU’s 161 points on the weekend.
• Courtney Roush has grown to become a force in the Horizon League, averaging 11 points off the bench in League contests.
• Courtney Roush is one of the Horizon League’s most efficient shooters, ranking second overall (57.7%) and third in League games (55.5%).
• With 415 points, Christine Roush now has the third-highest season scoring total in NKU’s Division I era.
• Christine Roush ranks second in the nation in free-throw shooting at 92 percent.
• Christine Roush ranks third among active Division I players and fourth among players in all divisions in career free-throw shooting (87.2%).
• G Rianna Gayheart now stands 12th on NKU’s career assists list with 326 on her career.
• F Kasey Uetrecht (137) and F Rebecca Lyttle (135) are ninth and 10th, respectively, on NKU’s Division I season rebounding list.
From NKU Athletics