The NKU Lady Norse welcomed in rival Wright State for a conference matchup. NKU looked to avenge a loss to the Raiders earlier in the month and earn a season split. It was also Senior Day as the program recognized those that have given so much to the program and the university.
Wright State (8-19 overall, 6-11 HL) entered the contest winners of two straight, mostly recently a 60-53 win over Oakland. The Norse (10-18 overall, 7-10 HL) were coming off tough loss to league leader Ft. Wayne on Thursday.
In what looked like a runaway win for the Norse, quickly turned late in the second half and the crowd of 1,751 saw Wright State claw back from a 16-point deficit to pull out a 68-62 road win and ruin the NKU Senior Day celebration.
After an early first quarter deficit, the Norse started to catch fire, much of it due to senior Mya Meredith who put up a quick 9 points to push NKU to a 14-9 lead heading to the media timeout.
The end of the first quarter saw the Norse in the lead 14-11.
NKU opened the second quarter on a quick 7-0 run before a Wright State three stopped the bleeding and NKU ahead 21-14. A Raider turnover on the following possession followed by a runner by Macey Blevins forced a Wright State timeout and the Norse up 23-14 with 6:35 left in the first half.
The end of the first half saw the Norse ahead 34-25.
The Lady Norse shot 48% from the field (13-27) and 50% from behind the arc (5-10). NKU forced Wright State into 10 first half turnovers resulting in a 9-2 advantage in points off.
Meredith led the Norse with 11 points and Blevins chipped in 9 points. Halle Idowu added in 7 of her own.
The Lady Norse wasted no time in extending their lead to begin the second half. A quick 6-0 run forced a fast Wright State timeout and the NKU led 40-25 with 7:32 left in the 3rd quarter.
Things took a quick turn as the Raiders forced NKU into a mix of turnovers and missed shots all while knocking down three consecutive shots from behind the arc to cut into the Norse lead forcing a timeout. Wright State closed out the third quarter on a 19-10 run to pull to within 50-44 heading to the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter saw NKU manage to extend their lead back out to 9 points before a three pointer by Wright State’s Ellie Magestro-Kennedy cut the Norse lead back down to six with 7:54 remaining in the game.
Out of the media timeout, both teams struggled to find any offensive flow with no points being scored for the next two minutes.
A pair of Jaci Jones free throws extended the Norse lead back out to seven with 5:10 remaining in the game and momentum remaining with the home team.
Wright State continued to chip away at the Norse lead. A short jumper by Chloe Chard-Peloquin and a layup by Makiya Miller brought the Raiders to within two at 59-57.
Blevins responded with a deep three to put the Norse back up by five as the clock closed in on three minutes remaining.
The Raiders’ Amaya Staton followed with two made free throws and a layup to pull within 62-61 with just over two minutes remaining.
NKU was unable to respond going two possessions that resulted in no points and allowing Wright State an opportunity to take the lead for the first time since early in the game.
After a Blevins missed layup, Staton grabbed the rebound and worked her way open on the other end for a layup on an assist from Macie Taylor and Raiders found themselves ahead 63-62 forcing an NKU timeout with thirty seconds remaining in the game. A pair of free throws from Magestro-Kennedy pushed the Wright State lead out to 66-62 and that would be as close as the Norse would get.
For the game, NKU shot 46% (23-50) and 35% (7-20) from behind the arc.
The Norse were led by Blevins with 17 points. Fellow seniors Meredith added in 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds and Idowu pitched in 11 points. Abby Wolterman grabbed 13 rebounds to tie for game high in that category.
The Good:
- Seniors Jones, Blevins, Meredith, Idowu, Paige Hodgson, Kailee Davis, and Kalissa Lacy were honored postgame for their contributions to the women’s basketball program and the university. Coach Jeff Hans spoke highly of each players contributions and spoke to how valued they were to the program, “the seniors mean so much to you, to the leadership they provide, leaving a legacy for the program. Proud of all seven of them and what they are doing and the buy-in we have had. The culture they are helping us create has a lot to do with what they have done so far. They won’t be remembered by the wins and losses, it’s who they are as people, and they are great young ladies, and they have a bright future ahead of them.”
- NKU defended and took advantage of what Wright State gave them on the offensive end running out to a 16-point lead midway through the second half.
- Abby Wolterman grabbed a season high 13 rebounds for NKU.
The Not-So-Good:
- Norse squandered a late 16-point lead after controlling the game for 35 minutes. Wright State only saw the leading side of the scoreboard for a total of 4:07.
- NKU bench was outscored by the visiting Raiders 25-7
- Norse struggled from the charity stripe going 9-17 (50%) from the line.
Coaches Corner:
- “A lot of credit goes to Wright State, down big and stuck with it and they just kept fighting and we didn’t have an answer at the end.”
- “There is a lot left for us on the table over the next week. Today, I thought we did what we had to do for about 30 minutes and that last 10-12 minutes when they went on that run, it just got us on our heels.”
Up Next:
- The Lady Norse head back on the road to take on Detroit on Thursday, February 27th. NKU and Detroit are currently battling for the fourth spot in the standings a home conference tournament game.
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