The Northern Kentucky women’s basketball team earned a huge victory on Saturday afternoon, as the Norse took down No. 19/20 Green Bay by a final score of 62-54. NKU improves to 3-10 overall and 1-1 in the Horizon League, while Green Bay falls to 11-2 and 1-1 in League play.
STAT LEADERS
The Norse had three players in double figures, led by Taryn Taugher with 17 points. She had a 9-of-10 performance from the free throw line.
Molly Glick finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Mikayla Terry added 15 points, including 13 in the second half.
Taugher, Glick and Terry combined to shoot 20-of-24 (83.3%) from the free throw line.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
NKU had a 19-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Norse outscored Green Bay 19-9 over the final 6:55 of the period.
The Norse shot 7-of-12 (58.3%) from the floor in the quarter, including a 5-of-8 (62.5%) performance from behind the arc.
Glick was 3-of-3 on field goals and scored eight points during the first period of action.
NKU led by as many as nine points in the second quarter and took a 34-27 lead into the half.
The Norse held Green Bay without a 3-point field goal in the half (0-of-10).
NKU was 10-of-21 (47.6%) from the floor and 7-of-14 (50.0%) from behind the arc during the first half. The Norse also went 7-of-8 (87.5%) from the free throw line.
Taugher had 13 points in the half to lead all scorers. She scored eight of her points in the second quarter. Glick contributed 10 points in the first half.
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
Green Bay started the third quarter on a 7-0 run and outscored NKU 9-2 in the period to tie the game at 36-36.
The Norse shot just 1-of-11 (9.1%) in the third quarter.
Despite scoring two points in the third quarter, the Norse responded by outscoring Green Bay 26-18 in the final quarter of play to get the 62-54 victory.
Terry sank a long triple as time expired to give the Norse a 49-43 lead with under two minutes to play.
Free throws were the deciding factor in the final quarter of play, as the Norse converted 15-of-18 (83.3%) shots from the charity stripe in the period to preserve the win.
NORSE NOTES
The win was NKU’s first victory over a ranked opponent since transitioning to Division I. The last ranked victory was on Jan. 12, 2012 with a 52-34 win over No. 24 Missouri S&T.
It was the first win ever against Green Bay. The Phoenix retain a 5-1 lead in the all-time series.
NKU finished the game 15-of-40 (37.4%) from the floor and 10-of-24 (41.7%) from beyond the arc.
NKU’s bench outscored Green Bay’s bench by a margin of 26-8.
The Norse held Green Bay to just 21-of-60 (35.0%) shooting from the floor and 4-of-26 (15.4%) from the 3-point line. Green Bay had been averaging 45.4% shooting on field goals and 32.0% from behind the arc.
NKU had a lead for 30:43 in the game, or 76.8% of the contest.
The Phoenix entered the contest as the top defensive team in the nation, holding opponents to just 47.1 ppg.
UP NEXT
NKU will head to Detroit Mercy on Thursday, Jan. 4. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
#TakeNotice
Chloe Smith
Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Northern Kentucky University
