GALLERY: Norse bludgeon IU Kokomo, 104-33
An NKU women’s basketball team returning to full health was bad news for Indiana University-Kokomo Wednesday night at BB&T Arena.
After allowing the first two points of the game, Northern Kentucky followed with a 23-2 run on the way to a 104-33 victory over the Cougars.
IU Kokomo turned the ball over 13 times in the first quarter, allowing the Norse to open up a 27-7 lead after one.
After a 23-15 second quarter, NKU outscored IU Kokomo 30-3 in the third quarter and 24-8 in the fourth to surpass the 100-point mark.
“I thought our kids did a great job continuing to execute,” NKU Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit said. “We continued to take care of the basketball which was a point of emphasis for us. We challenged our kids to have less than eight turnovers – we had eight turnovers.”
Six NKU players scored in double figures. Christine Roush had 16 points to lead the Norse.
Rebecca Lyttle, who missed three games, returned to the starting lineup for the Norse.
“It’s a matter of her getting comfortable,” Plitzuweit said. “Her teammates are excited, coaches are excited to have her back. Obviously, she’s excited more than anyone else. It’s nice she had an opportunity to play 12 minutes. She’s been at practice for a couple days. Great to get her back on the court.”
IU Kokomo dressed just six players. It is the second year for the women’s basketball program at the university located about an hour north of Indianapolis, Indiana.
“You have to give Kokomo credit because they came out and beat us on a back cut to begin the game,” Plitzuweit said. “They got some very good looks and did a very good job. We were just able to wear them down.”
NKU plays its final non-league game of the regular season 4:30 p.m. Saturday against Akron at BB&T Arena. It’s the final chance for Plitzuweit’s team to tune-up before the Horizon League schedule begins Dec. 30 against Valparaiso.
“Akron is a team that really pushes the ball up court,” Plitzuweit said. “They’re a fast team, they’re an aggressive team. A team that beat us very handily last year. They beat us to loose balls and offensive rebounds.
“Every game we go into, we want to be the aggressor. We want to play harder than our opponents and play smarter. It’s a great opportunity for us to keep working on us getting better defensively.”
Summary
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2016
@ BB&T Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Northern Kentucky 104, IU Kokomo 33
I – 7 – 15 – 3 – 8 — 33
N – 27 – 23 – 30 – 24 — 104
(33) IU KOKOMO (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Williamson 0-0-1-1, Crawford 6-2-0-14, Felder 1-1-0-3, Butler 1-0-0-2, Dewitt 2-0-0-4, Stevenson 3-3-0-9. TOTALS 13-6-1-33.
(104) NORTHERN KENTUCKY (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Ch. Roush 6-4-0-16, Wiegman 4-3-0-11, Uetrecht 2-1-0-5, Glick 5-1-1-12, Davis 3-1-0-7, Sanders 5-0-1-11, Terry 2-2-0-6, Gayheart 3-0-0-6, Co. Roush 6-0-0-12, Kinch 4-0-0-8, Franson 4-0-2-10. TOTALS 44-12-4-104.
FIELD GOALS: I 13/45 (Crawford 6/15, Stevenson 3/8); N 44/76 (Ch. Roush 6/9, Co. Roush 6/7, Glick 5/13, Sanders 5/7)
3 POINT FIELD GOALS: I 6/19 (Stevenson 3/5); N 12/33 (Ch. Roush 4/7, Wiegman 3/3)
FREE THROWS: I 1/2; N 4/5
REBOUNDS: I 26 (Butler 8, Felder 6); N 39 (Davis 8, Lyttle 6, Co. Roush 5, Terry 4)
ASSISTS: I 7 (Felder 3); N 26 (Glick 6, Terry 5, Davis 3)
STEALS: I 7 (Felder 4); N 21 (Glick 5, Davis 4, Uetrecht 3, Terry 3, Gayheart 3)
BLOCKED SHOTS: I 1; N 3
TURNOVERS: I 33; N 8