Grayson Rose poured in a career-high 23 points as the Northern Kentucky women’s basketball team picked up its fourth win in a row with an 80-63 triumph at Purdue Fort Wayne. The victory elevates NKU’s record to 4-4 on the year and a perfect 4-0 in Horizon League action, while PFW drops to 0-6 on the year and 0-4 in league play. STATS LEADERS
- Rose was on fire for the Norse, converting 10-of-13 shots on her way to a career-best 23 points. She added eight rebounds for good measure.
- Lindsay Duvall gave NKU a second double-figure scorer. The junior dropped 20 points and added six rebounds.
- Ally Niece contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a well-rounded effort.
TURNING POINT
- After leading by only two points at the end of the first quarter, the Norse put together a 28-12 second quarter to take an 18-point advantage into the locker rooms at halftime. They left no doubt of the game’s outcome with a 15-1 run to open the third quarter.
FIRST HALF SUMMARY
- It was an early 7-2 lead for Purdue Fort Wayne with Turner scoring the only Norse points off a jump shot.
- At the 6:40 mark, NKU sped off to an 11-0 run after Duvall nailed a shot from mid-range. Rose squeaked in a layup down low to follow up before Duvall hit two more shots on back-to-back possessions. Turner finished the run with a jumper of her own, giving NKU a 13-7 lead with 3:18 to go in the first.
- A pair of made shots from Turner and Rose, as well as some baskets from the Mastodons concluded the quarter with 17-15 advantage for the Norse.
- NKU obliterated Purdue Fort Wayne to begin the second quarter. Two-straight made-buckets by Rose sparked a 17-5 run that lasted for the first six minutes of the quarter. Niece was the other start of the surge in scoring, securing eight points for the Norse effort.
- Duvall and Rose each hit another couple of shots each to finish out the half with 13 points apiece, as the Norse took a 45-27 lead into intermission.
- NKU had one of its best shooting performances in the first half, making 56 percent of their shots (18-for-32).
SECOND HALF SUMMARY
- The Norse used all the momentum they took into halftime and ran out on a 15-1 spurt open the third quarter.
- NKU held PFW without a field goal until the 3:01 mark of the quarter.
- The Mastodons found a little stride and ran off eight-straight points, but the Norse used a bucket from Rose to stem the tide and take a 63-38 lead through three quarters.
- NKU shot a white-hot 78 percent in the fourth quarter, compared to just 32 percent from PFW, but nine Norse miscues led to 13 points for the Mastodons. Purdue Fort Wayne outscored Northern Kentucky 25-17 in the frame.
- Rose added 10 of her 13 points after intermission for the Norse.
GAME NOTES
- In the last two games, both against Purdue Fort Wayne, the Norse eclipsed the 80-point plateau with 83 and 80, respectively. The last time the Norse had two-straight 80-point games came on Feb. 18 and 21, 2016, when they respectively poured in 81 against Detroit Mercy and 80 versus Oakland.
- The Norse continue to dominate on the glass. After out-rebounding PFW, 44-26, on Sunday, they have won the rebound battle in 7-of-8 games and have posted four-straight outings with 40-or-more boards.
- Rose and Duvall’s 20-point scoring performances are the first by a Norse duo this season. Ally Niece (27) and Ivy Turner (21) last eclipsed achieved the feat on March 5, 2020 versus Milwaukee.
- In the first four games to start the league slate, the Norse have outscored their opponents by an average of 71.5-48.5 points and won the rebound battle 45.8-28.8.
- Northern Kentucky made 56 percent (31-of-55) of its shots, while Purdue Fort Wayne converted a mere 29 percent (20-of-69).
UP NEXTThe Norse will return to action in the new year when they battle Cleveland State in a pair of matchups on Jan. 1-2 at BB&T Arena. Each game will tip-off at 12:00 p.m. and will stream on ESPN3.
–Robby JohnsonAthletic Communications Graduate Assistant (WSOC/MSOC/BASE)Communications and Media ServicesNorthern Kentucky University
