From Chloe Smith, NKU Athletics Communication:
Northern Kentucky women’s basketball picked up its second win of the season with a 62-56 victory over ETSU. With the win, NKU improves to 2-3 on the season.
“We really moved the ball much better than we had been, and that’s something we’ve been emphasizing in practice. So our shots were better shots.” said head coach Camryn Whitaker. “We outrebounded them by 13 and had 17 offensive rebounds. We took care of the basketball much better in the turnover column. It’s our extra effort, and those are signs that we’re being aggressive and attacking the basket.”
Stat Leaders
· Junior guard Mikayla Terry had a breakout game with a career-high 23 points. It marked the first time that she scored more than 10 points in a game, let alone 20. Terry was a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range.
· Junior forward Kasey Uetrecht added a season-best 15 points to go with three assists.
· edshirt-freshman guard Taryn Taugher grabbed a team- and career-best eight rebounds.
· Redshirt-senior guard Shar’Rae Davis matched her personal best in assists, dishing out five helpers while committing no turnovers.
First Half Summary
·The Norse went out to an early lead, quickly moving to an 11-5 advantage with all points from Terry, with five, and freshman guard Laura Thomas, with six.
· NKU shot 5-of-12 from the field (41.7 percent) in the first quarter and held ETSU to just seven points off 3-of-14 shooting (21.4 percent).
· The Bucs outscored NKU 20-14 in the second quarter, but were unable to overtake the Norse as the score stood at 32-27 at the half.
· ETSU shot 60.0 percent from the field with 14 points from Shamauria Bridges. NKU shot 45.5 percent with a more evenly distributed offense, as Terry, Uetrecht, Davis and Taugher each added three points.
· The Norse sank five 3-pointers in the first half, with two from Terry, who had already surpassed her previous career high with 10 points.
Second Half Summary
· Terry added 13 more points in the second half, which saw NKU dip slightly in efficiency.
·In the third quarter, both teams went 5-of-13 from the field for a .385 clip. ETSU closed out the game with another strong quarter, shooting 53.8 percent while the Norse had their least efficient stanza at 30.8 percent.
· ETSU closed the gap to as little as three points with a minute to spare, but Uetrecht and Davis kept the Bucs from taking tying the game with vital free throws in the closing seconds of the contest.
Norse Notes
· NKU is now 5-0 all-time against ETSU.
· The Buccaneers did not hold a lead at any time during the contest, with NKU leading for all but a minute and a half.
· ETSU shot 42.0 percent from the field compared to 38.8 percent for NKU, but the Norse took advantage of trips to the charity strip with a 17-of-24 free throw performance. NKU made more free throws than ETSU even attempted.
· The Norse once again outrebounded their opponent, 40-27. The team also limited second-chance opportunities to 10 points off nine offensive boards.
· ETSU had the advantage in the paint, 20-14, but NKU made seven 3-pointers to counteract the Bucs’ inside game. Davis, Thomas and Uetrecht each added one to Terry’s four triples.