GALLERY: NKU women rout West Virginia State 92-47
A 54-point second half helped propel the NKU women’s basketball team to a 92-47 victory Sunday afternoon at BB&T Arena.
The 92 points were the most the Norse have scored since moving to Division I.
NKU (7-2) turned a 38-21 halftime lead into a rout thanks to a 29-9 third quarter. The Norse shot 59 percent for the game while holding the Yellow Jackets (3-6) to just 39 percent.
“It was a very good second half for our kids,” NKU Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit said. “We came out with a lot of pop, a lot of zip, and it started on the defensive end. We played very hard and very well in the second half.”
Plitzuweit said her team had to get out of its comfort zone on the defensive end of the floor.
“Sometimes when playing teams like Kentucky and Marquette, you get really nervous getting out and pressuring those kids,” Plitzuweit said. “They’re so athletic. They turn the corner and they’re by you.
“We really wanted to extend and we were able to do that in the second half.”
Christine Roush led NKU with 21 points. NKU had four players in double figures, including a career-high 14 points for Courtney Roush and 13 points for Sarah Kinch.
Kasey Uetrecht, playing in front of a large contingent of supporters from her alma mater Clinton-Massie, had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
She was emotional when talking about the support from her hometown fans.
“Oh my gosh, that was the sweetest thing ever!” Uetrecht said. “That was so nice. It makes me want to cry. I’m so thankful. The family that I have at Clinton-Massie will always be a family. I’m so grateful for them. I love them so much.”
Uetrecht said she wants to prove to the next generation of Clinton-Massie athletes that they can come from a rural background and succeed.
“You can get out of Clinton County and be successful,” Uetrecht said. “I just want to be a role model. It’s everything to have their support.”
Eleven different players played at least 10 minutes for the Norse.
“It’s important to get everyone in because it’s important to get everyone ready to go,” Plitzuweit said. “We’ve seen that during the course of the season so far. During different times of adversity, whether it’s foul trouble or injuries, different players have to step up.”
In addition to forcing 19 Yellow Jacket turnovers, NKU only turned the ball over 10 times. West Virginia State finished the game with no steals.
Taking care of the basketball is one area Plitzuweit wants her team to focus on as the non-league season winds down.
“Defensively, we just want to continue to be solid,” Plitzuweit said. “Offensively, we want to focus on taking care of the basketball. We’ve done a good job sharing it. We want to cut down on our turnovers.”
NKU returns to action 7 p.m. Wednesday against IU-Kokomo. The game will be televised on ESPN3.
Summary
Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015
@ BB&T Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Northern Kentucky 92, West Virginia State 47
W – 8 – 13 – 9 – 17 — 47
N – 18 – 20 – 29 – 25 — 92
(47) WEST VIRGINIA STATE (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Szorenyi 2-0-0-4, Hobbs 1-0-0-2, Shafer 5-0-1-11, Hines 6-0-2-14, Ward 1-1-0-3, Summers 1-0-0-2, Ringen 1-1-0-3, Current 3-0-2-8. TOTALS 20-2-5-47.
(92) NORTHERN KENTUCKY (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Ch. Roush 8-3-2-21, Uetrecht 6-0-4-16, Glick 3-1-1-8, Franson 2-0-3-7, Davis 3-1-0-7, Sanders 2-0-0-4, Terry 1-0-0-2, Co. Roush 5-2-2-14, Kinch 5-0-3-13.
FIELD GOALS: W 20/51 (Hines 6/9, Shafer 5/7, Current 3/6); N 35/59 (Ch. Roush 8/9, Uetrecht 6/9, Co. Roush 5/7, Kinch 5/7)
3 POINT FIELD GOALS: W 2/12; N 7/14 (Ch. Roush 3/4, Co. Roush 2/2)
FREE THROWS: W 5/6; N 7/14 (Ch. Roush 3/4)
REBOUNDS: W 23 (Shafer 7, Hines 4); N 36 (Davis 7, Kinch 7, Uetrecht 6)
ASSISTS: W 8 (Hines 3); N 15 (Terry 4, Gayheart 3, Kinch 3)
STEALS: W 0; N 8 (Uetrecht 3)
BLOCKED SHOTS: W 0; N 7 (Ch. Roush 3, Kinch 2)
TURNOVERS: W 19; N 10