By Chloe Smith
NKU Athletics Communication
Northern Kentucky women’s basketball fell to the League leader and top seed for the Horizon League Championship, dropping a 74-37 decision to Green Bay. With the setback, NKU ends the regular season at 9-21 and 5-13 in League play, while the Phoenix advance to 24-5 (15-3 HL). With the League slate ended, the Norse have earned the No. 7 seed for Motor City Madness and will play No. 10 seed UIC at noon on Friday, March 3.
Prior to the game, NKU honored its four seniors: Shar’Rae Davis, Sarah Kinch, Rebecca Lyttle and Kelley Wiegman.
Stat Leaders
· Freshman guard Hannah Clark led the Norse in scoring with 15 points, all from beyond the arc. Clark went 5-of-7 from 3-point range to set a new career high in both points scored and triples made, posting a double-digit scoring effort for the first time in her career.
· Redshirt-freshman guard Taryn Taugher also scored in double figures with 12 points. Taugher has had double-digit scoring games for the last five contests.
· Lyttle led on the boards for the Norse with five rebounds, and also recorded a steal and the only block of the game.
First Half Summary
· Green Bay established a dominant lead early on, not allowing NKU to score until nine minutes into the first quarter. At the end of 10 minutes, the Phoenix led by a 20-2 margin.
· The Norse had a more competitive in the second quarter, but were outscored by the Phoenix, 21-13.
· NKU still managed to shoot at 40.0 percent, but were held to 15 field goals for the half while Green Bay took 26 shots and connected at a .615 clip for a 41-15 lead at the half.
Second Half Summary
· NKU struggled in the third quarter as Green Bay advanced to a 61-22 lead, but the Norse outscored the Phoenix 15-13 in the final frame.
· Green Bay held NKU to 15.4 percent from the field in the third quarter while sinking 72.7 percent of its shots.
·Clark hit four of her five 3-pointers in the second half to lead the Norse in scoring.
Up Next
· NKU will face No. 10 seed UIC in the first round of Motor City Madness after earning the No. 7 seed. Tipoff against the Flames is scheduled for noon on Friday, March 3 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The winner will go on to play No. 2 seed Wright State on March 4 at 2 p.m. All Motor City Madness will be carried on the ESPN3 platform, with streaming available to fans on computers, tablets and smart phones through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.